Fortunae Gauntlet
by Velkyn Karma
Summary: When Usopp gets himself into trouble, his nakama unhesitatingly rescue him. But 'rescue' turns out to be a cut-throat fight-to-the-death combat challenge, and there could very well be fatal consequences. Features all Strawhats. No pairings. Complete.
1. Semantics

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

A fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Summary:** When Usopp gets himself into trouble, his nakama unhesitatingly move to rescue him. But 'rescue' turns out to be a cut-throat fight-to-the-death combat challenge, and there could very well be fatal consequences.

**Note: **Takes place between the Davy Back Fight and Water 7. Note that it is based off of the _manga_.

**Warnings:** Some graphic violence and character death (sort of). There'll be a lot of it. Also some swearing. You've been warned!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, One Piece or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

* * *

"If it weren't for my lawyer, I'd still be in prison. It went a lot faster with two people digging."

~Joe Martin

* * *

"As a member of the Straw Hat Pirates," the old man began solemnly, his voice slow and precise, "you are representative of the faults of your entire crew. I will therefore begin to recite the accusations against the Straw Hats. You are charged with disorderly conduct, disturbance of the peace, assault—"

"Are you kidding?" Usopp interrupted, looking both bewildered and nervous. "I didn't start any of that stuff! _They_ attacked _me!_"

Looking over the heads and shoulders of the excitable, murmuring crowd, Zoro privately had to agree that their liar was, for once, telling the truth. The men in question—seven smug bastards, sitting on the other side of the raised platform and watching in amusement—looked too burly and generally mean for their cowardly sniper to try and pick a fight with them. Hell, Usopp didn't pick fights in general. That was usually up to Luffy or that irritating love-cook.

"Do not interrupt my announcement," the old man said sharply, "or it will reflect badly on your sentence. To continue: assault, property damage that is roughly estimated to come to..."

Zoro tuned the man out, not particularly interested in the charges that Usopp—and as a result, the rest of them—were being accused of. They were pirates after all, and three of them already had notable bounties. It wasn't like they were saints. Instead, he scanned the crowd, searching for the others. They had to have been drawn by the commotion, and it would be good to see where his allies were at before attacking. Not that he would really need their help. He was pretty sure he could take everybody on that platform and get away with Usopp, chains and all, before they could react.

His searching yielded results. He could see the top of Robin's cowboy hat some distance away in the crowd, and while Nami was a little shorter he was sure the person with a flash of red next to her was probably their navigator. On the other side of the crowd, Chopper towered over the rest of the people in his human form, and the twirl of smoke rising from his other side was probably Sanji. The only one Zoro couldn't find was their captain, but that was unsurprising. Luffy's sense of direction was appalling, and Zoro often wondered if he could find his way out of a barn. He snorted.

The old man was wrapping up his list of offenses now, and turned to Usopp with a calm expression marred only slightly by irritation. "_Now,_ offender," he said cooly, "you may state your side of the story."

"I already told you," Usopp said in agitation, tugging at the chained manacles around his wrists. "I didn't do anything. I was just shopping in the market when those crazy guys attacked _me._ You should arrest them!"

The old man nodded, but instead of turning to state the other group's own offenses, he merely said, "That is probably true. However, the Scorpion Hunters are licensed on our island as bounty hunters and are permitted to attack any person they feel is dangerous to our society."

"Dangerous? Come on! Those guys are way crazier than I ever could be!"

One of the men in the bounty hunting group strode forward and waved a hand to attract the old man's attention. Once he was permitted to speak, the man smirked and said smugly, "All pirates are dangerous. Are you going to deny you're a pirate?"

Usopp opened his mouth to do just that. Zoro could already see the light in his eyes, that glitter that said he was spinning one of his bizarre tales in his mind and thinking just how to word it. But then, abruptly, he closed his jaws with a snap and said nothing at all.

Zoro grinned. Usopp had his moments, but he was getting better. His pride as a pirate had, for a moment, overcome even his annoyingly strong survival instinct.

The bounty hunter only smirked again at the silence, and nodded. "I thought so. Pirates are especially dangerous, but you even more so. We have reason to believe you stepped off the Straw Hat Pirates' ship and are one of their crew members. You realize that the Straw Hats are collectively worth two-hundred thirty-nine _million_ beri?"

Usopp stuttered, but had no response. The hunter's grin was like a shark as he continued, "We attacked you to make sure you wouldn't harm these civilians. A little damage is hardly comparable to our efforts, don't you think?"

"You—!"

The old man raised his hand, cutting off Usopp's shocked response. "You have said nothing about your assault charges," he noted, "only the property damage ones."

"They were chasing me! All I did was shoot a smoke star so that I could escape!"

"You shot a projectile at one of our licensed bounty hunters," the old man corrected sternly. "No matter your intentions, you still attacked this man. Have you any other defenses?"

"You're not even going to _consider_ that they're in the wrong?"

"They have already been excused," the old man said, a trace of annoyance in his otherwise neutral tone. "If you have nothing else to say, then we will move on to your sentence immediately. Due to the nature of your crimes, as well as the level of danger you as a Straw Hat Pirate represent, we have but two choices: deliver you to the marines, or execute you now."

"Are you _serious?_" Usopp nearly shrieked. "I didn't even _do_ anything! I'm innocent, I swear I'm innocent!"

"Since you lack a bounty," the old man continued, "it would seem pointless and risky to turn you in to the marines. Therefore, you will be executed here. Sasori, if you would?"

The man who had been speaking earlier stepped forward once again, grinning wickedly. Zoro narrowed his eyes and studied the man more closely, now that he presented an actual threat to his nakama. The man was tall, and thickly built, with heavily toned muscle that suggested a great deal of physical strength. Despite the heat he was dressed mostly in black, with slashes of red along his baggy pants that were stuffed into combat boots. A leather jacket with a curled scorpion tail insignia on one shoulder, and a rag tied casually over a multitude of dreadlocks, completed the man's unusual look. There was a curved scimitar sheathed at one hip, and a curled object that Zoro thought was a whip buckled at his belt.

The man, Sasori, had to be the leader from the way the others deferred to him on stage. He emitted a powerful killing aura, and Zoro knew immediately that this man was dangerous. Clicking his white katana with his thumb ever so slightly to loosen it, the swordsman began shoving through the crowd, towards the platform where a trembling Usopp was unsuccessfully trying to back away from his executioner.

Sasori laughed, snatched the chains, and tugged casually. Usopp yelped as he overbalanced, and crashed to his stomach on the raised platform. The bounty hunter placed his booted foot on the pirate's back to hold him in place and drew his scimitar, testing its edge with a thumb.

"If you're lucky," Zoro was close enough to hear him nearly purr, "this'll only take one stroke. If you're _lucky._"

Usopp whimpered and struggled frantically, but Sasori's weight was far too heavy for him to dislodge. The sword was going up; and damn it, but Zoro wasn't close enough, and with the crowd this close he didn't even have room for any caliber of Pound Cannon...

But before the downward swing could begin, a voice rose over the crowd, a reassuringly familiar one that had Zoro suddenly grinning. "_Hey! Hey Usopp, what're you doing over there?_"

"Luffy!" Usopp half-yelled, half-wailed. "Hurry up and help me! He's trying to kill me!"

Zoro's eyes found their captain quickly enough. He was perched on top of one of the town's many buildings surrounding the square, and watching the entire procedure with a puzzled expression on his face. At Usopp's plea, however, he grinned and said cheerfully, "Okay!"

Sasori smirked again—the man really did seem to love doing that—and Zoro could see the greed in his eyes as he recognized Luffy's now-infamous hat and face. Probably thinking about the hundred million their captain was worth, without stopping to think on just _how_ he got to be worth that much to begin with.

Raising the sword once more, he gave Luffy a nasty glare and said, "There's no possible way you could reach your crewmate in time—"

Luffy, however, had other ideas. Still cheerful, he had stretched his arms out to grip the metal supports that held a wide cloth over the platform to shield its occupants from the sun. With an enthusiastic "_Gomu Gomu no Rocket!_" he catapulted himself forward off of the shop's roof, shot forward, and careened straight into the bewildered Sasori, effectively knocking the man into the rest of his followers and off the platform.

Silence reigned for a moment as the crowd tried to decipher what it had just seen. Zoro was laughing. He thought the others might be too, though he could only see Chopper's towering form now that he had shifted his own position.

The old man recovered first. Waving his hands angrily, he screeched, "This is assault! Young man, I have witnessed it first hand. You, too, are sentenced!"

"Okay," Luffy answered, calmly. "But you can't kill my nakama. I'm not going to let you do that." He was enthusiastically checking the sites from the raised platform's new vantage point, and seemed unconcerned with the spluttering old man or the bounty hunters that were pulling themselves unsteadily to their feet.

"Luffy," Usopp eventually said, after he had also managed to come to a stand despite the chains, "I need the keys or I can't get out—"

"Don't worry about it," Luffy answered cheerfully. "We'll have Zoro cut'em off." Cupping his hands to his mouth, he yelled, "Hey, Zoro! Where are you!"

"Right here, Luffy," Zoro answered. Startled, the people of the crowd parted in front of him hastily as he started forward towards the platform, apparently shocked to find a wanted pirate in their midst.

"Can you get these off Usopp?"

"Sure," Zoro answered, "but you can't blame me if he loses a limb—"

"Zoro, don't even joke about that!" Usopp wailed, attempting to cling possessively to his own manacled wrists despite the chains.

Zoro smirked and opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Sanji's voice rose over the crowd instead. "Luffy! Watch out!"

Luffy threw himself aside easily as something snaked past him, and spun to face the new danger. Sasori was back on the platform and held his weapon in one hand. But this time, it wasn't the scimitar; the whip cracked angrily as it missed Luffy and recoiled back to its master's hand. Now that it wasn't coiled, Zoro could see an angry metal tip, like a claw, at the whip's end.

"Straw Hat!" The bounty hunter snarled angrily. "You aren't getting away as easily as that!" And with another sharp crack, the whip's tip soared outward once more.

Luffy dodged easily once again, and Zoro dived forward to the platform's edge, beginning to clamber up its side to help against the other hunters. But at Usopp's sharp gasp and Luffy's angry growl he froze, and glanced upwards to take stock of the few seconds of the battle he hadn't been able to witness.

Zoro cursed, and instantly knew why Luffy's eyes had narrowed in such a dangerous fashion. Sasori hadn't been aiming for Luffy at all with the weapon. Its end was wrapped neatly around Usopp's neck, with the metal tip pressed uncomfortably against the skin, just shy of piercing it.

"Don't move, Straw Hat," Sasori ordered, eyes narrowed. "This weapon is a prized possession of mine. It's called the Striking Tail, and just like a scorpion's tail, its tip is coated with poison. One twitch will send that tip into his neck. He'll be dead in minutes."

Luffy appeared absolutely livid, but kept perfectly still. His eyes never left Sasori's face, however, and they spoke volumes of what he planned to do the moment he could attack without threat to his nakama.

"You too, Pirate Hunter Zoro, and anyone else from your crew hiding in the crowd," Sasori drawled, and Zoro, swearing again, came to a halt halfway up the platform's side. It had been too much to hope the bounty hunter hadn't seen him, and in this climbing position he couldn't draw a sword and cut the whip either. Not that he dared to. The recoil would probably send that metal barb straight into Usopp's neck, and they didn't know if the man was bluffing or not.

"Hey, Chopper," Zoro called instead—the man hadn't forbidden talking, after all—"Is this guy faking it? Are there poisons that really do that?"

Zoro couldn't see Chopper at this angle, and didn't dare turn his head, but he could hear the reindeer's answer in his anxiety-tinged voice. "Th-there are some species of reptiles and arachnids that have fast-acting poisons...it only takes a few minutes to break down the body's basic functions..."

Usopp audibly whimpered, and tried to keep as still as possible, afraid even to swallow lest he jiggle the metal tip further.

Well, shit. So they really couldn't risk a charge. Zoro glared at the offending bounty hunter and silently promised to murder him when they got out of this—if Luffy didn't get to him first, that was.

The captain in question was still completely unmoving, but he looked furious. His hands had been fisted when Sasori gave the order, and his clenched fingers now were so full of tension that it was only thanks to his rubber body they hadn't snapped yet. Growling low in his throat, Luffy snarled warningly, "Let Usopp go. Now."

"No."

"Let him go. Now!"

"I refuse."

"He hasn't done anything to you," Zoro snapped as well, narrowing his eyes further. He was getting tired of holding himself up on the platform, but refused to allow his muscles to loosen even a fraction, lest Sasori take it as a declaration of attack. "Trust me, I know how he thinks. If you want a fight, I'll give it to you."

"But I don't want a fight," the bounty hunter leader sneered. "I want a just sentence carried out for his attack on the innocent civilians of this town. I'm sure you heard all the charges, Pirate Hunter Zoro. This man is a villain."

"He didn't even do any of that!" Zoro said, angry, at the same time that Luffy yelled, "You're lying!"

Sasori opened his mouth to respond, but another voice cut him off: an elderly, but authoritative, voice. "So you directly challenge the charges set against your crew mate, Straw Hat Luffy?"

There was an old woman climbing the stairs to the platform now, but though she was bent nearly double and struggled with the climb, there was an unmistakable gleam of comprehension and authority in her old eyes. The old man who had sentenced Usopp bowed to her and stood aside respectfully.

Luffy didn't move, though his eyes shifted to observe the woman. "Yeah," he answered, his voice dangerous. "I do. So let Usopp go."

"Hrm," the old woman answered instead, and she seemed to be considering. Zoro kept his eyes on Sasori, and was surprised to note that the man looked...angry. Or perhaps uncomfortable. He didn't like the appearance of that woman. Maybe that was a good sign.

"This is difficult," the woman continued, after another moment. "We haven't had a charge fought against in some time. But the law is firm on that regard..."

"The _law_?" Sasori yelled. "They're pirates! They gave up on the law a long time ago!"

"We are not the marines," the old woman said sharply. "We have our own rules here, and our own laws. Everyone is treated by them in the same fashion, Scorpion Hunter Sasori—or have you forgotten your roots?"

The man looked shocked, as though he'd been slapped. His hands tightened angrily on the whip's handle. Zoro, not liking the movement much, growled, "Watch your hand, you bastard. The moment you poison our sniper, you're a deadman."

Sasori threw him a glare, but notably quit twisting his fingers around the whip's handle. Zoro quietly started breathing again.

"The law is very firm," the woman continued. "As the commander, Straw Hat Luffy, you are entitled to contest the charges against your shipmate on his behalf. Should your challenge prove successful, the charges will be dropped, and your shipmate will go free. The rules of the challenge are as follows: first, you—"

"I challenge," Luffy said.

The woman looked surprised. "But you do not know the terms of the challenge. After hearing them, you may decide otherwise. The rules are—"

"I said," Luffy snarled warningly, still unmoving but eyes unhesitatingly focused on Sasori, "forget it. That's my nakama. I won't let him go. We need our sniper. I challenge."

Usopp was sniffling loudly behind Luffy. Zoro couldn't see him very well, but could only imagine the mess he must look like. Too damn emotional, the idiot. Of course Luffy would save him despite the consequences. When had he ever given them the notion that he'd leave them behind if they got themselves in trouble?

"I...I see," the old woman said slowly. "Well. The challenge in your case is a team effort, as well. It would be issued against the Scorpion Hunters—" here she gestured to the men standing behind Sasori, "who total seven in all, and must be equally matched. You may offer the challenge, but your second in command must back your claim, and you will need seven total challengers to match the Scorpion Hunters effectively."

"I'll do it," Zoro answered immediately, still clinging haphazardly to the side of the platform. "I'm his second. I'll back him."

"You don't even know the rules either! How can you possibly—"

"Lady," Zoro said in exasperation, "You really don't know who you're dealing with here, do you. Our friend's life is on the line. You think we give a damn what the rules are? We'll win, anyway."

"You couldn't possibly know that," the old woman said breathlessly. "But...very well. It is your own foolishness that will be the end of you, but very well. Your five other members?"

From the crowd, four shouts rose up. Zoro, his back to them, couldn't see them, but he could all but see their expressions in his mind regardless. The damn love-cook, looking bored but inwardly just as angry, and probably lighting a cigarette right about now. Nami, likely exasperated about the time wasted with a challenge, but willing to contribute to save a friend regardless. Chopper, nervous but still determined to save the sniper he got along with so well. And Robin, all cool exterior to match her cooly determined fighting style. She hadn't been with them long, but despite his suspicion Zoro was beginning to think she really was loyal to Luffy.

"That's only four," Sasori said, eyes glancing over the crowd. He smirked.

"I...I'll fight too, if I can," Usopp said, almost hesitantly.

"You? You're a prisoner. And condemned," Sasori shot back with a dark laugh. The old woman, however, was nodding her head as though satisfied.

"That is fair. Your captain makes the challenge for you, but you are of course permitted to defend yourself in the challenge."

"What? But he—"

"Enough, Sasori," the old woman said sharply. "Everyone must proceed with me immediately. Sasori, please keep the prisoner with you until we arrive at the challenge point. But be aware—should he die before the challenge has begun, you will be directly responsible for a count of murder." Sasori paled slightly, but nodded. He walked over to Usopp very, very carefully, removing the whip from his neck but replacing it quickly with a steel-like grip on one arm and a dagger to the throat.

"Coated in the same stuff," he warned, giving Luffy a look. "Just try something before the challenge starts—I _dare_ you."

Luffy looked furious, but for once in his life did the intelligent thing and did not attack.

"The rest of you may move again," the old woman continued. "Gather on the platform, and I will lead you to the challenge point." Luffy whirled to face Sasori full-on immediately, and Zoro clambered the rest of the way up the platform, coming to stand at his side. The others shoved through the crowd and piled onto the platform as well, an assembly of angry pirates at their most menacing, causing the crowd to murmur fearfully. Even Robin's normally stoic expression was marred by anger in her eyes.

"Very well," the old woman said, once they were all gathered. "Sasori, a challenge of the law has been issued against yourself and the Scorpion Hunters. Do you and your men accept the challenge?"

"Yes," he growled immediately, and the others behind him did the same, giving the Straw Hats angry looks over their leader's shoulders.

"Good," the old woman said briskly. "As the overseer of the law, I hereby declare the challenge made and begun. All of you are to follow me immediately to the point of challenge, where we will once more recite the rules and traditions and begin." And without another word, she turned, clambered down the wooden steps of the platform, and headed down the streets. Sasori followed, dragging Usopp with him and forcing the sniper to stumble forward quickly or risk having his throat sliced, and the other bounty hunters trailed after him. Without the slightest touch of hesitation, Luffy followed, expression resolute. His shipmates followed as well, not knowing what they had willingly entered themselves into, but knowing only that the life of a nakama hung in the balance.

—-

This story is completely finished except for its final chapter, so it will update with some regularity. It's quite long, as a fair warning, but I hope you all enjoy it.

If you leave a review, kindly leave it some substance! Do tell me what you enjoyed about this chapter, and what you think could be improved upon. Constructive reviews are lovely.


	2. Attrition

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part two of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Note:** I completely forgot we were going on vacation during my normal update time, soooo...I'll be nice and post this one early. Why not. It's already there.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

* * *

"We the unwilling, led by the unknowing have been doing the difficult with so little for so long that we are now ready to tackle the impossible with nothing."

~Local Fire Communications Reserve Volunteer Motto

* * *

The woman did not lead them far. With surprising speed for her frail, tiny body, she brought them to the center of the town, where a large round stone building towered over the rest of the wooden houses that made up the shops and homes on the island. The Straw Hats clambered up the stone steps behind her without hesitation, though entering the shining marble building felt oddly like entering a tomb.

The interior was just as simple as the exterior of the building. It consisted of only one room, perfectly round, with a domed ceiling that was slit every once and a while to allow light through delicately paneled glass. Seats were raised all along the edges of the room against the walls, and ended abruptly at a carefully constructed marble barrier that created a ring in the center. It reminded Nami oddly of a colosseum, and made her wonder if this 'challenge' was some sort of tournament. She hoped not. After the Davy Back Fight they had so recently pulled through, she never wanted to hear of tournament-style challenges again. It would be much easier if they could just sic Luffy, Zoro and Sanji-kun on the bounty hunters, clean up, and call it a day.

There were some figures in the chairs, Nami noticed after another quick glance around the room. Twelve elderly men and women sat on either side of the ring, for a total of twenty-four present in the seats. Considering the island's insistence on following their laws, Nami could only assume they were here to act as witnesses for the outcome of the challenge.

And there was another woman, too, sitting in the center of the ring, cross legged. She looked much younger than the others, and Nami estimated she was somewhere in her early to mid twenties by the look of her. To her side, she could already see Sanji-kun adopting that loose, adoring stance he took whenever he laid eyes on a beautiful woman. Though thankfully, he picked up on the silence in the room and hadn't started professing his love, reciting poems, or shrieking about his _mellorine._

"Welcome, honored grandmother," the young woman said. She did not get up from the floor, but remained sitting cross-legged, and did not take her eyes from the elderly woman leading the pack of angry pirates and bounty hunters. "The runners sent a message of the challenge ahead. I have already begun to prepare."

"Very well," the elder woman said, nodding. "Continue to ready your energies. The Fortunae Gauntlet will be seven pirates versus seven bounty hunters, a very difficult challenge indeed to sustain. By the time I am finished explaining the laws and traditions, you must be ready."

"Of course, honored grandmother," the young woman answered. She bowed her head politely, and then closed her eyes. Nami thought she looked like she was concentrating, though on what the navigator couldn't possibly begin to guess.

"Now then," the elderly woman said briskly, turning to face the rest of the group she had led. "Sasori, your men will stand over here, on my left, in a line. Take the prisoner with you until I say otherwise. Remember, again, that you are responsible for his life until the challenge officially begins by my call. Straw Hat Luffy, you and your men will stand over here, on my right, also in a line. Quickly!"

They did as ordered, Luffy standing resolutely in his chosen spot on the right and the others falling into place next to him. Nami noted with vague amusement that they had unconsciously lined themselves up in the same order that they joined Luffy's crew. Zoro was immediately to the captain's left, with Nami next to him. And despite Sanji-kun's usual interest in remaining as close as possible to her, he had left enough space between them for another person—exactly where Usopp would have stood, had he been in line. Chopper remained on Sanji-kun's left, and Robin just next to him, finishing the line.

"Very good," the elderly women congratulated, and paced up the lines to their heads, ignoring the glares that the Straw Hats and Scorpion Hunters shot at each other as they stood across from one another. Sasori in particular looked murderous as he glared over Usopp's head, knife still to his neck, though he was very careful not to prick the sniper with the poison.

"We will begin with a simple introduction," the old woman said firmly. "The twenty-four elder councilmen and women will record and remember the identity of each person present so that the law may continue as it should. Each of you will state your name and your duty within your group. Challengers, you will speak first."

She nodded at Luffy, who placed a hand on his treasured hat, shifted it firmly into place, and said, "I'm _Captain_ Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"Roronoa Zoro," came the next answer in line. He looked unconcerned, resting one arm casually on his three swords, but Nami could practically feel the tension radiating off of him. He was obviously ready for a fight. "Swordsman. Also Luffy's second."

"Nami," she herself answered, as her turn came next, and tried hard to look as unconcerned as the others did. "Ship's navigator."

Sanji-kun was next in line, but he stayed resolutely quiet. At the old woman's insisting gesture, he merely nodded his head towards the space between himself and Nami, and then at Usopp. "Someone else comes first."

"The condemned traditionally goes la—"

"Go ahead, Usopp," Luffy said. "Tell'em who you are."

"Ah...r-right," Usopp said, hesitantly, but at the determined looks on his crew mates' faces his confidence seemed to bolster a little, even at knifepoint. "I'm Usopp. The sniper for the Straw Hat Pirates...th-the strongest pirates in the world!"

The old woman looked frustrated slightly, but then shook her head and nodded to Sanji-kun. "Will you go _now?_" she asked, with a trace of annoyance.

"Sure," Sanji-kun said, as though he'd been asked to merely discuss the weather, not submit his name for a lawful challenge that sounded fairly dangerous. "Sanji. First-rate ship's cook."

"TonyTony Chopper!" Came the next squeaky announcement, partly obscured behind Sanji-kun. "I'm the ship's doctor!"

"And I am Nico Robin," came the final name. There was a moment of hesitation, and then she added, "the ship's researcher."

Nami was momentarily puzzled by this—hadn't Robin said she was an _archaeologist_? But then, Nami didn't know much about that sort of thing, and maybe there wasn't a difference.

Her thoughts weren't allowed to go much further. The old woman had nodded and said something to the men and women in the seats, who had responded with the affirmative. Presumably, they had heard and memorized who everyone was and what they did. Now the old woman was approaching the bounty hunters, and asking them to list their own names and professions, as well.

"Sasori, leader of the Scorpion Hunter bounty hunter group," the man holding Usopp at knife-point said, sneering across at the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy's eyes narrowed and his fist visibly tightened. Nami prayed he would keep his cool until they got Usopp out of his predicament, at least.

The man next to him was unusually tall and thin, with lanky, long black hair tied back in a greasy ponytail, and rather large eyes. He wore a pair of twin tiger-head hookswords strapped across his back and had his arms crossed in an almost bored fashion. "Kawazu," he answered shortly. "Second in command of the Scorpion Hunter bounty hunters."

"Andy 'Eagle-Eye' Octonus," the next man proclaimed. Everything about him exuded arrogance and overconfidence. He had short-cropped blonde hair and was well dressed—not quite to Sanji-kun's standards, but he had a well-groomed sense about him. There was a quiver with thick bolts slung at one hip, and on his back was a large crossbow. "Resident sniper for the Scorpion Hunter bounty group," he added, casually twirling one of the bolts between long, slim fingers. Nami made a face. The man was quite a show-off.

"Jovis," the next man said, only one step above a whisper. "I'm the navigator. Since our group travels the seas searching for bounties, you know...need to get there somehow...naturally, naturally..." The small man's voice petered out into nothing, and he was wringing his hands anxiously. But though he was babbling and acting nervous he didn't seem really worried; not in the same way that Usopp frequently did, when getting nervous about a coming battle. Nami had to wonder if this was merely an act, and vowed to keep an eye on him and relay her suspicions at the earliest possible moment.

"I'm the group's medic," the next in line said. He was incredibly skinny and seemed to lack any and all muscle mass whatsoever, but his hands looked calloused, as though used to work. Or possibly digging through bodies. "I'm also responsible for positively identifying kills. My name is Doku Spinifer. Pleased to meet you." And he bowed politely to the twenty-four elders before straightening at his place in line.

"I'm Tazan," the next of the bounty hunters said. This one was tall and stood casually, with hands in his pockets, not unlike Sanji-kun. Fixing the Straw Hat chef with a particularly vicious look, he added, "I'm the Scorpion Hunter bounty group's cook, especially when we're on long hunting voyages. But everyone calls me Cocoa," he added, almost as an afterthought. Then he grinned, and Nami had to fight the urge to gasp in surprise. The man's teeth had been filed down to points, and his grin resembled a shark's more than a human's, reminding her uncomfortably of Arlong.

"Moult," the last man said. He looked almost asleep, with half-lidded eyes and an entire body that seemed to droop like a forkful of wet noodles. There was a toothpick hanging loosely between his lips, which looked partially chewed on. "Tracker for the Scorpion Hunter bounty group." Then he yawned, lost his toothpick, and gave the half-chewed piece of wood on the ground a puzzled look.

Once again, the old woman appealed to the twenty-four elders sitting in seats around the outside of the ring, and once again they acknowledged that they recognized and remembered each of the names and occupations of the challenged.

"Very good," the old woman nodded. "Now, as for the challenge—"

"We just have to beat them, right?" Zoro said, to Nami's right. His hand was on the white sheath at his hip, snapping the sword free with one thumb. Beside him, Luffy was bristling and glaring across at Sasori, barely restraining himself from dashing forward for Usopp's sake.

The old woman frowned at Zoro. "It is a battle challenge," she said, "but the combat will not take place here."

"Well then, tell us where so we can kick their asses already!"

"So impatient," Eagle-Eye jeered. "In a hurry to die, are you?"

"Just try us!"

"Enough!" The old woman shouted loudly, holding up her hands. "That's enough. Let me explain the rules of this combat challenge, and then we will transport you to the battle site." Everyone fell silent, though tension still crackled in the air, thick enough to almost feel on a physical level.

When the quiet was to her liking, the old woman nodded grimly. "Very well," she began. "The challenge is as follows. You will be transported separately to two different areas of the combat site. On our signal, a green firework in the sky, both parties will begin to search for each other. The goal is to find and kill the seven members of the opposing team, while not losing all seven of your own members."

"It's a battle of attrition?" Nami asked, bewildered. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the entire law? You'll be losing your own people and there will be a lot of property damage as well!"

"The challenge law has long since been perfected, child," the old woman said, giving her a firm look. She was obviously not pleased with being interrupted. Turning back to the group as a whole, she added, "The only rules are that you _must_ wait until the beginning signal is given, and that there is a time limit: five days maximum are allotted for the teams to find and eliminate one another. At the end of the five-day limit, if there are living members on either side, the challenge will be considered null and the charges will go back to the way they originally were, before the challenge was issued."

Nami paled. This was a lot worse than she had expected. Even if they managed to drop Usopp's charges, the likelihood that one of them could die in this battle was especially high. And killing _had_ to be the answer, too; something that very few of them were used to. Even Luffy did not kill most of the dangerous pirates they came across and fought, only eliminated their dreams so they were still living but as good as dead. Could they possibly win a match like this? Could they protect their own and _still_ come out victorious?

Usopp looked worried too, and possibly a little guilty. But the rest of the crew seemed unconcerned, and Zoro had that slightly crazed look that suggested he was looking forward to the fight. Well, Nami decided, forcing herself to act more confident than she felt, every single one of them was skilled to some degree in combat, so they could at least hold their own. And they had _Luffy _on their team, their nigh-invincible captain, not to mention the combat monsters that were Zoro and Sanji-kun. They should be fine. They had to be.

"Are both sides prepared?" The old woman asked. "There are no further questions?" Silence reigned, and after waiting an appropriate amount of time the old woman nodded. "Very well. Shira, begin the ceremony."

"Of course, honored grandmother," the young woman on the ground said. Nami jumped slightly, surprised. She had forgotten the woman was still sitting there, cross-legged and concentrating on...something.

"Begin with the captive," the old woman added, after a moment's thought. "We will allow the Straw Hats to recover the body before we send the rest of them—"

"Wait...wait, what was that?" Nami yelped, doing a double take. The young woman—Shira, her name seemed to be—had climbed sinuously to her feet and walked towards Usopp with a surprising amount of grace. Nami had an odd feeling that if the woman reached their nakama, something very bad was going to happen. "What do you mean, _recover the body?_ You never said anything about this—hey!"

Too late. As Nami began to step forward, intending to grab the young woman's arm and demand an explanation, Shira reached out her own arm and took the situation out of Nami's control. Placing fingers on Usopp's forehead, she murmured something under her breath. Her hand twitched, and there was a slight spark; Usopp's eyes widened a fraction, and he slumped in Sasori's arm, as though dead. The man seemed surprised himself, and probably would have sliced Usopp's neck entirely by accident had not Shira deftly reached out and twisted the knife aside at the same moment that Usopp collapsed.

"What did you do to him?" Nami yelled in shock. She was vaguely aware of five other voices shouting the same thing alongside her. They all probably had varying expressions of outrage and surprise on their faces, though Nami couldn't see them. Her eyes were focused on the slumped form of their sniper, dangling haphazardly in the enemy leader's muscled arm.

Shira looked confused, and the old woman surprised. "Why, we merely sent him to the contest grounds," she answered, as though this was an extremely common occurrence. "You may send your doctor forward if you like to bring his body back to your side. There is no longer any danger of trying to escape with your comrade, now that he is in the illusion world."

"Go ahead," Robin said, nudging Chopper forward. The little reindeer seemed surprised at first, but expanded into his human form as he strode forward. Sasori looked murderous as he handed over Usopp's limp body. Chopper cradled him with the obvious care of a medical practitioner as he returned him to their line, carefully laying the body out between Sanji-kun and Nami and crouching to examine him.

"What'd you do to Usopp?" Luffy repeated. His voice was tense, in the growl every Straw Hat knew as the low, warning tone Luffy adopted shortly before beating the ever-loving tar out of his latest opponent. Not that they could blame him for his anger. It looked for all intents and purposes as though they had murdered Usopp somehow, though Chopper reported shakily that he was alive, just unconscious. None of the rest of the crew looked friendly, either.

"You'd better explain fast," Sanji-kun added, even as he drew a cigarette from the pack in his breast pocket and lit it with a flickering match; another sure indication that he was getting angry and about to act on it. "Or you probably won't like the consequences."

"You've really never encountered astral projection before?" the old woman asked, looking genuinely shocked. The Scorpion Hunters looked smug. Apparently they _had_, and their knowledge seemed a sure indication to them that the win was in the bag.

Robin frowned slightly, but said nothing. Nami herself had never heard of such a thing, at least not in any practical sense outside of ghost stories and the like. The others all looked puzzled as well, and Zoro even said outright, "No. Better tell us."

The old woman looked agitated, and paced slightly. "Oh dear," she murmured. "I hadn't realized that duels weren't the same elsewhere. If you've really never heard of it..." She fell silent, almost hopefully, but when none of the Straw Hats spoke up again she sighed and shook her head. "Thousands of years ago, our ancestors engaged in real combat, right in this very building. The ring you see here was used for such fights. But our world is a very dangerous place, with many unusual powers and abilities, and even with the combat-law beginning in this building it often did not end in such a way. The damage was catastrophic. This colosseum was almost always wrecked, witnesses were injured badly or even killed, disease or illness could be spread with the cast blood of foreign combatants, and blood feuds often rose from the mess as well.

"Then, about one thousand years ago, our people discovered and developed a unique ability. There were some of us...who could see into the world of illusion. It is like a separate world, alongside our own, that can only be reached by the _mind_, not the _body_. In this place, those with our unique powers could engage, and do battle, on the mental plane. If a combatant died in the illusion world, then their body would eventually die in this world as well, detached from the mind; but beyond that, there was no danger, no damage, no unnecessary deaths or carnage.

"Over time we learned not only how to transport ourselves to this illusion world, but others' minds as well. We have used astral projection into the illusion-world for nearly one thousand years now as our method of duels and law-challenges to further protect our people and solve our dilemmas."

"So...so you didn't hurt Usopp?" Chopper asked, looking concerned regardless. One of his dexterous hooves was at Usopp's throat, probably feeling for a pulse and checking the skin for scratches from that deadly poisoned blade.

"Certainly not," the old woman said sharply, looking appalled. "That would not be just. The challenge hasn't even started yet, and it is not Shira's place as the astral judge to choose sides. She merely sent his mind to the illusion-world, as she will do for the rest of you shortly. Shira," she added, gesturing to the woman, "will be sustaining your minds in the illusion world and overseeing your progress. The rest of the elders will watch passively as witnesses." At her introduction, the young woman bowed quietly to them and waited patiently.

"So, what? We're supposed to engage in some sort of _mental_ battle?" Sanji-kun pressed. "How is that fair, if none of us have ever done it before?"

"You misunderstand," the old woman said, raising her hand almost placatingly. "The world is, for all intents and purposes, the same as our own. When you are transported there, all essences of yourself will be transported with you—your abilities, your current possessions, your weapons, your hunger, your fatigue. Everything. But for the fact that the combat will not take place in our world, everything else is just as it is here, and _very_ real." She paused, and after a moment added, "Everything but death, that is."

"You said people who die there die here too!" Nami observed hotly.

"She said _eventually_," Robin spoke up abruptly. She still looked composed, but was regarding the old woman carefully. "That would imply that death is still reversible if the process is done immediately."

"Quite observant," the old woman said with a nod. "That is the other reason for our five-day limit. During combat, Shira, the astral judge, is sustaining your minds. That also means she is responsible for watching over your astral essences. Should you die in the illusion world, Shira can prevent your soul from escaping to the afterlife, though you will still remain separated from your body. Beyond five days, a soul is usually unsalvageable, and cannot be prevented from escaping."

She paused. "I truly am sorry. I was unaware that you did not know the traditions of astral combat, so let me explain a further rule: the winning challengers will be granted the gift of life. All combatants who died in the illusion world on the surviving team's side will have their essences restored and find themselves revived in the real world. The losers' souls will be allowed to pass on into the afterlife, and without their essences in the real world, the bodies will eventually die."

"Revival from the dead," Chopper whispered in awe, looking at the waiting Shira with newfound respect, even despite the dangers of the situation. "That has huge implications in medical history!"

"It isn't real revival, though," Nami said with a frown. "Just a hoax. Or an elaborate circuit around death. And it seems a bit suspicious to me," she added, eyeing the old woman warily. "Even if we win, our lives are still in your hands as long as we're in this other world. What's to stop you from killing us anyway, since we're your enemies?"

The old woman looked insulted, and Shira raised her hands placatingly, looking deeply hurt. "That is not how the astral judge acts. I have trained for many years to remain neutral in all situations, and oversee the law with an unbiased mind. Should you defeat those that you challenge, your essences will be properly restored and all lawful charges against you dropped. I swear this on my own soul."

Nami opened her mouth to protest, but Zoro cut her off. "It doesn't matter," he said, voice flat. His hand tightened on the hilt of his white katana, and he added, "We're going in one way or another. Right, Luffy?"

"Right," their captain agreed. "Usopp's there, so we're going there too, and we'll take him out. They can't stop us."

There were a number of things they _could_ do to stop them, and Nami considered voicing them for a fraction of a second, but decided against it. Once Luffy had his mind set on a course, there was no stopping it. She had learned that from the day he insisted on her being his navigator, come hell or high water, and refused to take no for an answer. Zoro was unhesitatingly loyal to Luffy and would follow him to the ends of the world, Sanji-kun would follow on principle just so Zoro couldn't show him up, and Robin and Chopper would follow Luffy because he was _Luffy_, and would inevitably lead them to victory one way or another. Besides, they did still need to rescue Usopp, and if this was the only course of action...

"Alright," Nami said. "Then let's hurry up and get started."

"Nami-san is so wonderful when she's determined," Sanji-kun murmured with a sigh, and gazed at her with his one visible lovesick eye.

"You heard her," Zoro said more loudly, addressing the astral judge Shira with a note of impatience. "Let's get going already so we can kick these guys' asses." He eyed the Scorpion Hunters across from him nastily, and they responded with narrowed eyes and angry snarls.

"As you wish," Shira said with another bow—she acted awful subservient for a neutral judge, Nami thought irritably—and stepped towards Luffy. "The Challenge ceremony will re-commence," she added in a more formal tone, and as she had with Usopp, reached out to touch Luffy's forehead. He blinked in surprise before collapsing in a heap—thankfully uninjured, due to his rubber status. Zoro followed suit at the astral judge's next touch, thudding to the ground in a clatter of sword sheathes and the tiny click of gold earrings on marble tiling.

Then the woman was in front of her, reaching out slim fingers for Nami's forehead. The navigator opened her mouth to protest, to ask to lay down first before being removed from her body, but Shira was too fast. The cold touch on her forehead felt oddly draining, and seemed to pull at her skin, as though their flesh had been fused together. She felt disoriented, dizzy, and gasped at the sensation.

She thought she saw a vague flicker of movement to her left as something shot towards her. Probably Sanji-kun, leaping to catch her in an imaginary act of a knight in shining armor. But then her vision seemed to gray, and she was flying, or maybe lifting, and within moments Nami was nowhere at all.

* * *

Alrighty. Explanations down. Action starts next chapter, mwahahaha.

As a random fact, each of the 7 Scorpion Hunters' names are based off of scorpion or poison puns and derivatives. They are as follows:

**Sasori** means "scorpion" in Japanese (and no, he is not based off of the _Naruto_ Sasori, as many of you have asked. It's just a naming coincidence is all, seeing as I haven't read that manga in QUITE some time)

**Kawazu** means "frog," specifically in this case referencing poison dart frogs

**Andy "Eagle-Eye" Octonus** is a double-pun. Andy Octonus is a breakdown of a scorpion genus; 'Eagle-Eye' is a reference to his sniper status.

**Jovis** is also a part of a scorpion latin name

**Doku Spinifer** is another double-pun. 'Doku' means poison in Japanese; 'spinifer' is another part of a scorpion genus.

**"Choco" Tazan** is a third double-pun, a play off of the Tanzanian Redclaw and Chilean Chocolate scorpions

**Moult** is based off of the word (as in 'to shed' ) since scorpions do this too.

Just like last time, if you leave a review, kindly give it some substance! I like constructive reviews, so tell me what you think was done well and what could be improved on.

~VelkynKarma


	3. Fade to Gray

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part three of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Music Box: **This chapter was written while listening to copious amounts of _DreamEndDischarger_, from the _Umineko_ BGM. Try YouTubing it and listen while you read (no lyrics). It'll fit well. If you do, be sure to let me know in your review!

* * *

"It's not fair, it's not fair, there was a time now

Kneeling down,

Take in the moment when everything becomes finally clear.

It's not fair to lose it,

And how...

There was a time now

But Death is cheating us somehow—

And he's already here."

~_Everything Fades to Gray, _Sonata Arctica

* * *

"—ke up! Hey, c'mon, wake up already!"

Sanji groaned loudly as he came to his senses and put a hand to his head. His poor skull was throbbing, sending angry red flashes across otherwise dark vision, and he wondered vaguely how hard the crap-geezer had hit him to make him feel like this. More importantly, he wondered what the hell he'd done wrong, and—was that a sack of potatoes under his back? Had somebody actually knocked him into the ship's _stores?_ Outrageous! He was going to kick them into mincemeat as soon as his head stopped spinning, whoever _they_ was...

"Come on, Sanji! Get up already!"

That wasn't the old chef's voice. That wasn't even anyone from the Baratie. Actually, it sounded suspiciously like Usopp, but he'd been captured, hadn't he—

Sanji's eyes snapped open and he scrabbled into a sitting position hastily. He regretted it almost immediately as the pounding in his head returned with full force, and for a moment he wondered if his brain was attempting to escape from his skull. He pressed his palm over his one visible eye, swore under his breath, and waited for the world to stop spinning.

"I know," Usopp said. He sounded apologetic. "It's pretty bad at first, but it goes away after a few minutes, don't worry."

"What're you doing here?" the cook managed to slur, massaging his head carefully with his hand to try and chase the headache away faster. "I thought those Scorpion bastards caught you?"

"I'm not sure," Usopp answered. "That woman poked me in the forehead or something, and then the next thing I knew I was waking up here. And you guys started just appearing all around me a few minutes after I woke up! It was really weird!"

Woman? Forehead? Oh, right...Shira, the lady with that perfect figure, nice and slim, wonderful legs, she had...and something about being an astral judge too. He hadn't been entirely clear on that part. Wished he understood now, though—it might answer a few questions.

Risking the light again, Sanji tentatively opened his eyes once more and removed his massaging hand. Blinking, he looked around, scanning the area quickly. Usopp knelt next to him, watching with concern. Nami-san wasn't too far from him, pulling herself shakily to her feet. Her grimace said that she felt much the same way he did at the moment, which was to say, pretty shitty. Zoro, Robin-chan, and Chopper were splayed out on the ground, still asleep or maybe out cold. A little further down, Luffy was already on his feet and looked utterly unaffected, and was rubbernecking—literally—to take in the sights.

Taking his hint, Sanji lifted his head slowly and looked around, fought the urge to gasp. _This_ was the illusion world? He'd seen a lot of crazy things since coming to the Grand Line, but this was ridiculous.

They were in a forest, but it was like no forest Sanji had ever seen before. The trees towered over them, so high he vaguely wondered if they would be able to climb one to reach Skypiea. And they weren't normal trees, either; these ones twisted like giant springs, spinning around for eternity up and up with a completely hollow center. They were perfectly smooth, almost like glass, and an odd lavender color. Which, he admitted, contrasted well with the pastel green sky, surprisingly visible above them despite the abundance of trees.

Tilting his head back further, Sanji was surprised to find himself leaning against one of the giant corkscrew growths at its base. The trees apparently became less smooth as they neared the ground, growing knobby and rough as they burrowed into the dirt.

"What the hell is this place?" Sanji half-muttered, still massaging his aching head.

"I-it must be that astral world, the one that Shira lady was talking about," Nami-san said shakily, making her way slowly over to Usopp and Sanji. "Though this wasn't..._quite_ what I was expecting, I'll admit. I figured it'd be more like the real world."

In any other situation Sanji would have agreed wholeheartedly, lavished her with praise, and offered her a soothing drink to quell her obvious headache. But the cook was too out of it to feel like his old self, and so he said simply, "Yeah...you're right."

"I'll wake the others," Usopp offered quietly. He looked nervous, as though expecting the others to snap at him. "You guys stay here and rest. It'll wear off in a bit, promise. After that...maybe you can explain this astral world thing?"

He was off before either could comment. Not that Sanji could argue; less noise meant less throbbing in his skull. Nami-san thudded down next to him, grimacing at the knobby texture of the tree at her back, and cupped her head in her hands with a groan.

Usopp _was_ right though. By the time he had finished rousing Robin-chan and Chopper—and made a joint effort to wake Zoro, who remained stubbornly unconscious for some time as usual, stupid shit-swordsman—the throbbing had subsided and Sanji had even managed to climb unsteadily to his feet. He took a few experimental steps, expecting his body to feel lighter, or perhaps different somehow, in this strange spirit world. But he felt the same as he always had, and even his few practice kicks snapped off with the same power and confidence that they had for years.

Groaning, Robin-chan, Chopper, and Zoro—the last muttering viciously about hangovers—gathered near their cook and navigator. Usopp called for Luffy, who by now was halfway up one of the massive spiral-trees and grinning enthusiastically. With a happy yell their captain plummeted nearly one hundred feet to the surprisingly firm (for a spirit world) ground and bounced over to them.

"You're awful happy," Zoro muttered, wincing slightly at the crashing sounds his captain made. As the last to rise, Zoro was subsequently the last with a throbbing headache, and he never _had_ been pleasant when hung over.

"We've got everyone back," Luffy answered happily. "Nothing to worry about now!"

"Are you _insane?_" Nami-san hissed, giving the rubber-man a sharp smack. "We're not even close to out of deep water. Didn't you listen to that old lady? We still have a huge combat session coming up!"

"But we're together," Luffy answered, looking a little puzzled, as though he couldn't quite comprehend Nami-san's anger. "So we'll be fine."

"That is _just_ like you—"

"Er," Usopp interrupted, before Nami-san's (completely righteous) rage could build further. "Does somebody want to fill me in?"

Quickly as they could, the crew—mostly Robin-chan, Nami-san, and himself—explained the astral-duel and its rules. Usopp paled considerably at the news of a fight to the death, but attempted to act nonchalant despite his dampening brow and shaking knees. "Not a problem, right?" he asked, voice quivering slightly. "I mean, Luffy and Zoro could take'em down in ten minutes, and with Sanji's help it'll go down to five—"

"What, _he_ cuts the time in half? You give love-cook too much credit—"

"As if, you know I'm stronger than you, marimo—"

"I'm not sure it's that simple," Robin-chan cut in, and the calm, even tone to her voice quieted the argument near instantly. "If we knew where our opponents are, then a full-scale battle would be possible...but part of it is that we need to_ find_ them, and in an unknown environment like this, it could be tricky. Especially if they keep moving, or split up."

"We can still take'em—"

"Look!"

It was Chopper who shouted. Puzzled, Sanji glanced upward, where the little doctor's hooves were pointing, and blinked. Green sparks, a much deeper emerald against the pastel green sky, were flickering high above their heads. They lasted for a full minute, and then faded out suddenly, leaving not a trace.

"That was the signal, wasn't it?" Nami-san asked, frowning.

"I think so," Chopper agreed. He also looked nervous. "The challenge is starting now."

"Then we had better get moving," Usopp said. He was still quivering.

"What? Move? But then they can't find us and we can't fight," Luffy said, sounding disappointed. Frowning, he added, "I need to teach them a lesson for hurting my nakama." Next to him, Zoro was nodding, one hand clutching the hilt of his katana that, even replicated in this odd spirit-world, gleamed white.

"I think Longnose-kun has a point," Robin-chan said sensibly. "Our opponents have already shown they are not above using dirty tricks to get their way. If they find us first, it isn't unreasonable to think that they would ambush us and try to kill as many of us with surprise as possible."

"So we should keep moving, and find them first," Sanji finished. The archaeologist nodded, and with an enthusiastic voice the cook added, "Ah, Robin-chan is so smart!"

Luffy and Zoro still did not look entirely convinced, but when Nami-san hinted that they would also be able to explore the world while moving, Luffy gave in. He planted himself firmly at the head of the party and darted ahead and back as they began to move, often leaving their sight for minutes at a time despite Nami-san's lecturing. Sanji followed, second in line, keeping himself ahead of the rest just in case something decided to attack them from the front when Luffy was absent. It wouldn't do to have his Nami-san and Robin-chan attacked unfairly, after all. The others followed in a tight huddle, with Chopper and Usopp remaining tightly pressed together as though expecting monsters to leap out of thin air from beside them.

Interestingly, Zoro hung back a few paces, slightly apart from the rest of the group at the rear. And although Sanji needled him mercilessly about _keeping up so he didn't get lost and wander into those crap-Scorpions by accident_, and Zoro roared back at him to_ mind his own damn business, love-cook, _Sanji was privately approving. Zoro's hand never left his precious swords, and from his tense posture and narrowed eyes it was clear he had established himself quietly as the rear-guard. Nothing would attack them from behind without their swordsman knowing about it first. In this unstable situation it was all they could hope for.

They walked for a while. Two hours, by Sanji's guess; it was hard to tell seeing as he couldn't seem to find the sun. The sky seemed indiscriminately bright, the same pastel green everywhere, with no sign of rays of light or the darkening shadows of late afternoon. There weren't even any clouds, which unsettled him. Sanji didn't have Nami-san's skill when it came to the weather, but he did know the signs of an approaching storm, and this uneasy tension felt too much like it.

In those two hours, the scenery barely seemed to change. This forest, or whatever it was, was massive. Though the spiral trees were not tightly packed, they seemed to go on without end. He was already getting sick of their lavender color, and fervently hoped other things growing in this world were anything else but purple.

Luffy soon began to complain of hunger, and began looking at Sanji expectantly; not long after, Usopp and Chopper began sharing similar looks. The cook was not entirely surprised. He had noted when that woman mentioned _hunger_ as one of the things transported into this strange spirit world. Truth be told, during their hike Sanji had been keeping an eye out for something, _anything_, that looked remotely edible. But the only growth he had seen so far was the trees, and he had not caught even a fleeting glimpse of an animal. There were no birds, beasts, dinosaurs, not even a squirrel. Nor, for that matter, had he seen running water. That left Sanji with an uncomfortable feeling clenching at his heart. As the ship's cook he was expected to provide food for everyone, but he couldn't do anything without ingredients. Five days of combat was one thing, but five days of combat without food or water would be a surefire death sentence.

He masked his worry with his usual confident air, however. No sense in making the rest of the crew anxious, especially with Usopp and Chopper ready to wet themselves as it was. So he lectured (and kicked) Luffy repeatedly for his complaining, told him _he would get dinner when he got it,_ fawned over the ladies and promised them much more exquisite dishes due to the astral fare no doubt to be had here, and argued with Zoro over the tiniest things. Everyone played along. Nobody, except perhaps Luffy, actually meant any of it.

The tightness around his heart began to dispel after another two hours of walking. Sanji insisted upon pausing to let the ladies have a break—no good wearing poor Nami-san's feet out after all, and poor Robin-chan would endure without complaining if he didn't stand up for her! While they rested against one of the strange spiral tree's knobby roots, Chopper suggested that they climb a tree to see how much farther they had to go, and Luffy took to the challenge instantly. He rocketed himself up the nearest tree—literally—and climbed until he was little more than a tiny red-black speck. He stayed up there for nearly ten minutes, until Nami-san yelled irritably for him to come down already and report. Then he slid down the smooth, glassy tree as though it were a huge slide, spinning around it again and again until he finally reached the bottom and crashed into the ground, laughing.

"Just like the whirlpool!" he said excitably. "I'm so dizzy—you should try it, Usopp, it's fun!"

"Never mind that," Nami-san growled, cutting off the excited looking sniper before he could talk. "What did you see up there?"

"Ah...this spiral forest is almost finished," Luffy said, a little sadly. "But there's a big field, and then a sort of mountain-thing with a lot of cliffs, and a big huge pile of rocks, and an _ocean!_ D'you think the Going Merry came too? I wonder what the Grand Line is like in this funny world..."

"Which direction?" Nami-san insisted, quickly losing patience.

"That way," Luffy said immediately, pointing off to his left.

"It was the other way," Robin-chan whispered into Nami-san's ear, though loud enough for Sanji to hear. "I went up with him." She gestured to one eye, all the explanation that was needed.

So they set off again, Luffy still dashing ahead madly, Sanji still taking point, and Zoro still acting as rear guard. With the news that they would soon be leaving the forest, the crew's spirits seemed to rise. Usopp was making wild stories about his "previous visits" to other worlds like this one, and Chopper was drinking every word of it up. Nami-san laughed, Robin-chan giggled quietly, Sanji felt a _mellorine_ come to his lips once or twice, and even Zoro had the decency to snort in exasperation.

An hour later they began to see some progress. The trees became smaller, their spirals thinner, and their color changed to a deep blue as they went on. Much to their surprise, some of the smallest trees they found actually appeared to hover in the air, from a great distance up, and appeared stretched, as though somebody had grabbed their coils at each end and pulled.

"It's like it's growing _down,_ not up," Usopp, with the sharpest eyes of them, noted. "And...hey, what's that?" Drawing his goggles down, Usopp adjusted them for better viewing, and then abruptly whipped his slingshot out. He selected an ordinary pellet, drew, and fired.

There was a sharp crack, from up above, and then something lumpy dropped to the ground at their feet. It was hard, vaguely round, and looked rather fuzzy. Sanji snatched it and cracked it open carefully, noting its slight resemblance to a giant nut. Its insides were slightly moist, of a faint lavender color _(stupid purple again)_, and, when Sanji carefully tested it, tasted similar to peaches, but with a nutty under-flavor. No hint of poison, and they seemed healthy enough.

"Are there any more?" He asked, glancing at Usopp.

"Dozens," the sniper answered. "All those little floating trees have them."

"Knock'em down," Sanji ordered. "They're edible. We can save them for later." He carefully peeled the fleshy portions of the nut free and passed them out to the others to try. Naturally he would try to create something interesting out of them later, but if nothing else, at least they had food, and food moist enough that they were getting _some_ liquid intake as well.

Usopp complied, eager to be helpful. Luffy joined in, though after knocking three of the trees to the ground with his overbearing rubber attacks Nami-san expressly forbade him from gathering. The others collected the fruit-nuts together and stored them in Usopp's and Chopper's packs, as no one else had been carrying their bags before they arrived. Only Zoro refused to help. He kept his hands on his swords at all times, and his eyes never stopped scanning the area.

Once the packs were full, they all helped themselves to the remainder of the fruit-nuts on the ground, enjoying an inelegant and frugal but filling meal. Luffy complained loudly about the lack of meat in their lunch, but Sanji put an end to that with a well-placed kick. Satisfied and a little calmer now that one of their base needs was taken care of, they continued on for another half an hour until they reached the edge of the forest.

Luffy had been right: there _was_ a lot at this forest's edge. To their right was a huge mountain, with dusty looking rocks (_bright yellow_ no less) piled high. It wasn't _too_ great a distance away, and towered over their heads, with scraggy-looking spiral trees growing feebly out of its rocky surface. The mountain seemed to expand beneath their feet—the odd purple grass had transitioned into more yellow stone that they now stood on—and passed to their left, gradually turning into a quarry of sun-bright stone some four hundred feet away. Beyond it was a field of red grass that turned into hills far in the distance, bordered continually by the strange spiral-tree forest. And in front of them a good distance away the ground simply _ended_, becoming sheer cliffs (Sanji could only assume, at any rate, as he couldn't see them from his vantage point), and beyond those, a lividly pink ocean.

"This place's colors make my head hurt," Zoro muttered behind the group, breaking the shocked spell the landscape had held over them.

"As if you'd be one to appreciate anything spiritual," Sanji shot, attempting to get a rise out of the swordsman. The truth was, though, that the place made his head hurt as well, and something about it unsettled him. Grimacing, he suddenly realized he hadn't smoked in over five hours and reached into his pocket, pulling one of his cigarettes free. A pity he couldn't have imagined himself in here with a full pack—he only had six left.

"What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Zoro growled.

Sanji opened his mouth to respond, but Nami-san spoke first, stepping forward from the group and cupping her mouth with her hands. "Luffy! What are you _doing?_ Get back here!"

"I want to see the ocean better," came the childish captain's response. He had darted forward, making for the cliffs, and seemed utterly unconcerned with their current predicament.

Nami-san grimaced. "Don't wander off, we don't know if it's safe!" She shouted. And then, a little quieter, "Not that it'd feel safe even if we knew we were alone. I don't like this place. Something feels _wrong_ about it. It's creepy."

"Nami-saaaaan," Sanji trilled, flinging his arms wide as he stepped towards her, "no need to feel afraid! Whenever things feel strange, simply take solace in my embrace, and everything will right itself once again!"

"Sanji-kun, this _isn't_ the time," Nami-san began. But then she blinked suddenly, looking bewildered, and staggered towards the cook as though suddenly off balance.

Sanji's face lit up as though Christmas had come early. Perhaps the threat of danger in this strange game had _finally_ made her realize just how precious he was to her! Grinning widely, he wrapped her enthusiastically into his arms—

And froze, because his palms, pressed against her back, were suddenly warm and wet.

Startled, he shifted her hastily—but even in his rush, ever so carefully—to one arm, suddenly frightfully aware that her entire weight was being supported by him. Pulling his other hand free, he lifted it to his eyes, and was both horrified and disgusted to see red liquid staining his palm.

He was aware suddenly of the painful silence that had enveloped the group. All of them could see the blood on his hands, could see the limp way Nami-san was cradled in the crook of one elbow, face pressed into Sanji's suit jacket; could see the red staining that jacket despite its dark color, already spreading too fast for comfort.

"What," Nami-san said, breathily, blearily. She shifted in his arm, as though trying to stand, confused. "Why's it so...quiet...Sanji? Sanji-kun?"

As if it was a signal, the rest of the team exploded into motion. Chopper shouted for Luffy—too far away to have realized what was going on—to come back now, his nakama needed him. Zoro had two swords drawn instantly and was at the ready, radiating murderous intent. Robin-chan faced the opposite direction, hands crossed, ready to defend their other side. Usopp looked terrified, but had pulled his goggles down and was already crouched on the ground, curling up as small as possible.

And Sanji...

Sanji was livid that somebody had attacked Nami-san, _his_ Nami-san. But as much as he wanted to find who did this, and kick the crap out of them, there were more important things at stake. The shit-swordsman, much as he disliked him, could handle a fight long enough for them both, and Luffy was already jogging back at a breakneck speed. What was important now was Nami-san.

Moving quickly, he cradled her close and bore her to the ground, nearer to Chopper's level. Their doctor bent over her immediately, grasping her head quickly—her eyelids were fluttering, her eyes unfocused—and begging her to stay awake, to stay with them. Sanji seized the moment to whip his suit-jacket off, intending to hold it to her back and stem the bleeding.

Then he realized she was bleeding from the front, too.

"It's a penetration wound," Chopper said helplessly. "She must've been shot through. Damn it, I don't have my tools, I need my supplies—"

"Chopper!" Usopp shouted abruptly, shockingly loud, "look out!"

The sniper leapt forward and grabbed the little reindeer by his unbroken antler, dragging him back hastily. The doctor shouted, protesting, but his cries ceased suddenly when a thick crossbow bolt slammed into the yellow stone where he had been seconds before, impaling the now-empty sleeve of Sanji's jacket.

He leapt back to his feet in surprise, cradling Nami-san protectively close and shielding her as best as he could with his body. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and blood seemed to dribble at an alarming rate. He shifted his grip awkwardly and pressed his wadded-up jacket into her chest wound as best as possible.

"C-can't t-touch without p-paying, Sanji-k-kun," she shuddered dazedly. "T-two thousand beri..."

"Of course, Nami-san," Sanji answered, keeping his voice as casual as possible and inwardly feeling sick. She was already going into shock. That couldn't be good.

"He's there!" Usopp shouted loudly now, pointing in the direction of the mountains. He was crouched awkwardly over what Sanji now saw was a second crossbow bolt—or maybe a first, he realized. He thought Usopp had curled up to protect himself, but had he been studying the angle of that bolt to find the attacker?

"It's their sniper!" he added, looking terrified but strangely determined at the same time. "He's taking cover behind some of those boulders. I couldn't get a good shot at him if I tried..."

"Then try harder!" Zoro growled. He sliced his own swords rapidly, sending a pair of compressed-air shots in the general direction of the enemy sniper, but as he hadn't actually seen Eagle-Eye his aim was off. The stones at the foot of the mountain shattered, and a harsh bark of laughter floated towards them over the crack of broken rock.

Luffy had reached them by now, looking excited at the prospect of a fight—until he saw Nami-san, cradled in Sanji's arms. "_Who hurt her?_" he snarled, his expression suddenly dark. "_Who hurt my navigator?_"

"It's their sniper," Sanji growled, looking livid. "That bastard shot her unfairly!"

A sharp _crack_ followed, and a third crossbow bolt went spinning past, knocked off course. Usopp stooped immediately for another pellet to load in his slingshot, for once not bragging about his perfect aim or how he had managed to shoot a projectile out of thin air. His eyes were wide and watery behind his goggles.

Luffy snarled wordlessly now and spun, drawing his arm back as if to fire it, but Chopper expanded to his human form and grabbed his wrist quickly. "We can't fight, Luffy!" he said helplessly. "Nami needs help _now_, and if we don't help her she's gonna die, and I can't treat her here!"

"We need to run," Robin-chan agreed, voice grim.

"But Nami—"

"We're at a disadvantage here!" Usopp said, his voice slightly hysterical. "Trust me, I'm the sniper, _I know! _He's got cover and can shoot us at his leisure. We're in an open area, far away from him, so we're easy pickings. He'll punch us full of bolts before we ever reach him!"

Luffy hesitated, but still looked unconvinced. Another bolt shot forward and spun off course, this time sliced out of the air by Zoro's swords.

"Please, Luffy!" Chopper begged. "We can't fight now, we have to _run!_"

As if to accentuate the point, Nami-san gasped in Sanji's arms, writhing in agony as the gloriously pain-killing shock began to wear down. Sanji gripped her tightly, hating himself as she whimpered against his touch, but unwilling to let her injure herself further.

That was all that was needed. Still looking furious, but unable to argue, Luffy nodded. "Okay. We run. Where?"

"The quarry," Usopp supplied. "It'll break up his long-shots and we might have a chance."

Sanji wasted no further time. Still gripping Nami-san protectively, he darted towards the quarry, his powerful legs driving him ahead of the rest of the team. Chopper transformed into Walk Point and dashed alongside, yelling instructions to him anxiously. Robin-chan was not too far behind and had sprouted extra arms to help block Nami-san's bleeding while Sanji carried her.

He glanced back once, quickly, to see if the others were keeping up. To his surprise, Luffy, Zoro and _Usopp_ of all people had remained behind. Zoro was growling something at their sniper; Sanji thought he could make out the words _get moving_, though he couldn't be sure. Still playing rear guard then, refusing to leave anybody behind him. Usopp, though shaking (he could see that even at this distance) shook his head, and drew a pair of shots free. The first was an exploding star, fired at the rocks. It connected, and sent a huge rumbling _roar_ through the air, probably keeping the enemy sniper on his toes. The second was a smoke star, set at their feet, so the man would have trouble aiming and not see where they went. Surprisingly smart thinking, on Usopp's part. He could be counted on to come through in a pinch still.

Then he was darting off, with bolts still slamming through the smoke here and there, with Luffy running encouragingly alongside, and Zoro practically _jogging_ behind him. But then the swordsman pitched him over one shoulder and picked up the pace, getting out of range as quickly as possible.

And then Sanji was at the quarry, and what was in front of him became more important. He and Chopper dived into the stone, searching quickly for a sheltered location from which to treat Nami-san. The cook set her down with incredible gentleness, as softly as he could despite her obvious pain, and hovered about anxiously awaiting orders.

Chopper did what he could. Sanji knew he did. He bent over Nami-san's form—her eyes were closed now, her face unbelievably pale—and peeled back her shirt to get a better view of the wound. Sanji crouched at her head, fawned over her helplessly, brushed his fingers through her hair and halfheartedly tried to insist that she should wake up, because he was peeping right now, wasn't he, and didn't she need to hit him for it? Please?

But she didn't wake up, not when Chopper had worked over her for half an hour and the others had joined them, when Luffy sat cross-legged quietly next to her, not saying a word, when Usopp knelt on the ground bawling and whispered _I'm sorry I'm sorry this is all my fault I'm so sorry_ over and over and over again, when Robin-chan stood quietly off to the side but had one hand pressed far too tightly over her mouth, when Zoro regarded them quietly and then turned his back to them, swords drawn, guarding once more, as if he didn't need to see what would happen—as if he already knew what would happen.

She didn't wake up, until at least Chopper pulled back, and said with a trembling voice and teary eyes, "I can't do anything. Not like this...I'm...I'm sorry..."

And just like that, Sanji understood the cruelty of this game. He felt like his mind had turned off, like his emotions had been replaced with steel. He should be sobbing—Chopper certainly was, and Usopp—but he couldn't do it; all he felt was numbness.

* * *

Whoadang, things just got serious. And these jerks _cheat_ too. Maybe this won't be as easy as anticipated...

Don't forget to mention if you took the **Music Box** challenge above. I'm greatly curious to see if it worked and what the reactions were...especially since _Umineko_ music is fantastic. Plus _Umineko_'s later chapters include Sanji's long-lost brother, Amakusa (replace **(dots)** and **(slashes)** as applicable):

http:/www (dot) onemanga (dot) com (slash) Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni_Episode_4 (slash) 5 (slash) 34

Srsly...they could be twins! The only difference being Amakusa's as-yet-unseen eye is on the right side, not the left, and he's a bodyguard and sniper, not a cook. But still. He's snarky and has been known to hit on his employer (the girl) on occasion. All he needs is a spiral :)

As always, tell me what you think if you review! I like constructive feedback. It is very, very useful!

~VelkynKarma


	4. Regroup

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part four of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, One Piece or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Note:** This fic is getting so much support now! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, watched, and faved this story. I hope you all continue to enjoy it :)

* * *

"Retreating? Hell no, we're just attacking in the other direction!"

~Military Saying

* * *

No one spoke for a long time, but that didn't mean it was silent. Usopp was painfully aware of his own sobbing, unnaturally loud to his ears, breaking up the silence. Chopper was sobbing too, tears getting caught in his furry face, and while Sanji's face was bone dry his breathing was heavy, as if he were having trouble with it.

The others weren't crying. Usopp didn't really expect Zoro to, and was unsurprised to see the man looking grim but not sorrowful through his own tears. He didn't expect much from Robin either; she looked upset, but her face was dry as well.

Luffy was the one that really surprised him, though. His face was blank, completely_ blank_, as if he had no reaction at all. Not the silly emptiness of his childish personality, or not getting a joke. His face was just _empty_ as he sat cross-legged quietly next to Nami's inert body, and this alone frightened Usopp more than any of their captain's ferocious rages or foolish antics ever could.

After a time, when Usopp felt that he had finally emptied himself of all the tears he could possibly shed, he sniffled, wiped his eyes and nose, and looked around at the others. No one met his gaze, and he couldn't gain either approval or shame from any of their eyes. So he took a shaky, deep breath and volunteered instead, "M-maybe we should...bury her?"

It was like he'd shot each of them with one of his stars, the way most of them reacted. Chopper's quieting sobs grew louder as a fresh batch of tears began. Sanji flinched, and hunched almost possessively over the corpse in their midst, as though insistent on protecting it. Even Robin seemed to react, frowning and folding her hand over her mouth once again, looking away from the body.

Only Zoro showed approval. The man was still facing away from the rest of the group, staring back down their trail over the white sword clenched in his teeth, but he turned his head enough to meet Usopp's eyes and nod. It felt strange, getting approval from Zoro. It implied that he recognized strength, and Usopp felt anything but strong at the moment.

But he felt a little reinvigorated with that nod, and added almost hesitantly, "I don't think we could...well, actually _bury_ her here...I mean, the ground is too rocky...but we could build a little tomb, or someth—"

"No."

Usopp blinked and looked at Luffy, the origin of the objection. "I don't think we could carry her, we have to—"

"No. I'm not leaving my navigator behind."

"But, Luffy—"

"_No_," the captain growled, and Usopp froze as though threatened. Then, to everyone's surprise, Luffy rose to his feet.

"I won't leave Nami behind," Luffy repeated, fury in his voice. "She asked for my help and I promised. I _promised_. So I won't leave her behind. I'll...I'll make those bastards pay." His hands formed fists, and he stomped the ground for emphasis.

"I'll smash them into the ground, I'll flatten them, I'll punch holes in them, I'll crush them," he snarled, stamping harder and harder, and his voice had practically transformed, transcending the rage and determination they all knew so well to something more vicious, more violent, more...insane. "I'll tear them to pieces if I have to, if that's what Nami wants before she'll join the crew again, _I'll kill them_." And to their horror, he whirled, spun, and sent his fist rocketing outward down the quarry. Fist met massive sun-yellow boulder and the entire thing burst, showering them with gravel and sending a fine yellow dust shivering into the air.

_"I'll kill them!"_ He repeated, now an angry shriek, and drew back his fist again, sending it slamming into another heavy boulder with the same loud, shattering result. They could only watch, stunned, and shield their faces with their hands. Sanji crouched protectively over Nami's body, disregarding his own to keep the corpse from taking further damage.

Luffy drew back his first a third time and launched it, still roaring angrily. But this attack missed its mark. Instead, a sheathed sword came slamming down on the arm in mid-flight, knocking it off its aim and snapping it back to the surprised captain. Before he could react, a second, pure-white sheathe came swinging out of nowhere, cracking into the back of the captain's head and knocking him forward to the ground on his face.

The other crew members sat, stunned, as Zoro calmly replaced the sheathes at his hip and sat on their captain's back, effectively holding the dazed rubber-man in place. One hand was planted on the back of the captain's head, pressing his face into the dirt; Luffy's hat had fluttered a few paces away when he was knocked over. "Keep watch, will you?" he said calmly to Robin. She blinked, nodded in understanding, and turned to take up Zoro's former post, arms crossed and at the ready in front of her.

This was all the recovery time the others needed. Furious, Sanji leapt up and snarled, "What the hell do you think you're doing, you crap swordsman? Do you think this is the time for this bullshit? Huh?" Chopper looked stunned as well, jaw agape, and Usopp certainly felt the same level of surprise. Was this what the death of a crew-mate would do to them—drive their captain crazy, and make the rest of them fight amongst themselves?

"No," Zoro answered Sanji's question cooly. "It isn't the time. Hey, Luffy—quit struggling, and I'll let you up." The swordsman shifted slightly, and Usopp could see Luffy scrabbling to force Zoro off of him, with surprisingly little success. After a moment or two Luffy's hands stilled, and Zoro cautiously stood, dragging his captain up by the collar.

Luffy spun immediately and looked furious, hands curling into fists again, but Zoro would have none of that. This time he reached out with one hand and slapped the side of the rubber-man's head, a warning shot that would nevertheless have likely taken a normal person's head from their shoulders with Zoro's level of strength. Due to Luffy's power the move was hardly effective, but it did catch his attention, and the captain grudgingly froze.

"Listen up," Zoro said, and now his voice had taken the low, dangerous tone it always took when he was in a serious fight. "Nami's not dead."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sanji snarled. The enraged cook took a step forward, carefully avoiding Nami's body. "That bastard put a crossbow bolt straight through her, she's not coming back!"

"She will!" Luffy shot back hotly. "Because I promised!"

"_Shut up!_" Zoro roared, and everyone fell into a subdued silence. Then, less loudly but no less authoritatively, Zoro added, "Nami's not dead, but only if we win the game."

"Death isn't a game!" Sanji yelled, and he looked ready to take a swing at the swordsman with one of his ferocious kicks. "Don't treat Nami-san's death like..." And then he trailed off, a stunned expression on his face.

Usopp frowned at that; it wasn't like Sanji to ever stop defending a woman's honor, even in death. And then it clicked for him as well, and he realized what Zoro had remembered and everyone else seemed to have forgotten: _none of this was real._

The shock of Nami's unexpected death via an unfair attack had completely overwhelmed him...and, judging by the expressions of the others, everyone else as well. He had seen this as a terrible tragedy, and was horrified at the prospect of never seeing Nami again; never hearing her shrill orders, her money-grubbing chatter, or talking with her about being one of the only _normal_ people on the crew. But that would only be the case if they lost this astral court session, this...this _game_, as Zoro had put it. And they hadn't lost yet. The conditions were that all of them had to be dead for that. They still had a shot.

"Zoro's...right," Chopper said, surprised. "We can still save Nami...we can still save her!" He looked suddenly exhilarated, as though he'd discovered the cure for death. Well, really, they all had, provided that they succeeded in time...

"Only if we win," Usopp repeated. "That means we can't risk more mistakes, like..." And suddenly his eyes widened. "Luffy," he gasped, horrified, "they know where we are now!"

Zoro nodded grimly, but Luffy looked surprised—though the anger hadn't quite left his face yet. "Huh?"

"Captain-san sent up a cloud of dust when he attacked the quarry," Robin supplied. She was still facing away from the rest of them, but her voice was grim. "Our position will be obvious to anyone on the lookout for us."

"So...so that's why you attacked him?" Chopper said, bewildered, looking at Zoro. "You weren't mad at him or...or at us?" The swordsman merely shrugged.

"Then we need to move," Usopp said now, looking nervous. "That guy...Eagle Eye, their sniper...he had to have seen the signs. He already knows we came in this direction, he'll be looking for us, and he might bring his friends..."

"We can't leave Nami-san behind like this!" Sanji insisted. He no longer looked furious, more determined than anything else, but his tone became indignant in Nami's defense.

"Have to," Zoro said with a shrug. "No time. Not her, anyway."

"You stupid—"

"Let them come," Luffy growled, interrupting. "We'll just finish them all now and get Nami back."

"No!" Usopp yelped. "Luffy, we can't wait around, not if they know where we are! They'll just kill more of us that way!"

"I won't let them, I'll—"

"Luffy," Robin said smoothly, surprisingly using his name instead of his title, "Longnose-kun is correct, I think. If we wait here, the bounty hunters will know where we are, but we won't know where they are. It would be easy to sneak up on us in here. And we know at least that their sniper is not above shooting in cold blood. If we wait here, another one of us will die for certain."

Luffy seemed hesitant, but argued, "But they'll be here, and we can smash them up then!"

"It doesn't matter," Usopp said, looking worried but thankful for Robin's help. "Somebody'll still be dead. And we can't even guarantee who it'll be. What if they shoot _you_, Luffy? We'll definitely need you to beat them. You can't beat them and save Nami if you're dead." There. Harshly said, but sometimes lies just wouldn't do the trick. "Or Sanji, or Zoro," he added. "Or any of us. We can't afford to lose any of us. We're already six against seven..."

"So we leave," Sanji said, shaking his head. He looked angry at the thought of it, but he too saw the necessity of it. "Sorry, Nami-san...I'll make it up to you when we're out of here. The best mikan dishes you could possibly want, though it's not enough for failing..."

The rest of them looked to Luffy. Chopper's eyes were wide, pleading; Zoro's stare was grim, solid; Usopp was sure his own gaze was pleading as well. Only Robin did not meet their gaze, still watching their backs as Zoro had asked.

And then, "Fine," Luffy said, eyes narrowed. He looked almost defeated, a look that chilled Usopp to the bone. "We'll hide. But we _will_ beat them."

"Nobody said otherwise," Usopp agreed. "And we can figure out how to on the way."

"It might be prudent to set up an ambush for them," Robin added. "Surprise is important in this game, it seems." The others nodded in agreement.

Before they left, they did what they could for Nami's body. Zoro sliced a few sections of rock away in the quarry and made a small gap just large enough for a human. Sanji gently laid the already cooling corpse in it, pillowing its head on his bloodied suit-jacket—there was no way he could wear it again, not drenched as it was in Nami's blood. They piled the rock shards that Luffy had made out of anger in front of the gap, sealing it off from the outside world. At the very least, Nami would be protected from defilement by the Scorpion hunters when they inevitably arrived. None of them could stand the thought of those disgusting men finding her corpse.

And then they ran, retreating up the quarry in the opposite direction they had entered it from. Usopp was well used to running away by now, but he could tell that it strained some of his more confrontational crew members almost painfully. Luffy's jaw remained clenched, and Zoro, beside Chopper at the back of the line, had a permanent narrow-eyed expression. Sanji was smoking like a fiend, and Usopp briefly wondered what would happen when he ran out of cigarettes; Usopp was sure there weren't many left in the pack. Only Robin kept an expression of calm, though the sniper was sure it was a facade.

"Hey, Usopp."

Surprised at his name being called, Usopp turned to face Zoro. The swordsman's eyes were fixed firmly on his own now, and he was holding something up in one hand.

"Take a look at this. Tell me what you think."

Frowning, Usopp slowed his pace and fell back on Zoro's other side (Chopper was trotting along in his reindeer form on Zoro's right). There was something clenched in Zoro's hand. At first it looked like the swordsman's bandana, but on second glance Usopp realized that he was using the bandana to hold something long and pointed.

"That's a crossbow bolt," Usopp said in surprise.

"Yeah. I picked it up when we ran."

"Why would you bother?" Usopp shuddered. Now that he looked closely, he could see traces of rusty red slathered liberally all over the shaft, and realized this had probably been the first, the one that had gone straight through Nami.

But Zoro merely shrugged. "Figured it'd be important. Just tell me what you think."

Usopp sighed, but held out his hand for the bolt gingerly. He had nothing better to do, and maybe examining it would help keep his mind off other things, like the edge of panic he was barely keeping subdued.

Zoro handed it over carefully, still wrapped in the bandana. Gripping it gingerly with his fingertips, Usopp turned the shaft this way and that, considering.

"Well?" Zoro prompted, after a few minutes. At his side, Chopper looked up in interest.

"It's...well, I don't know as much about crossbows, but it's pretty well crafted," Usopp offered hesitantly. "This bolt is pretty big, and heavy...definitely belongs to that Eagle Eye guy's crossbow. And if that's the case, then it has a really long range, probably a lot longer than I could get with my slingshot..." He grimaced, and mentally cursed himself for his complete uselessness. He was supposed to be an even match for their sniper, not useless baggage.

"There's got to be a weakness though, right?" Chopper asked hopefully.

"Well...I mean, for that sort of range and for such a heavy bolt, the crossbow would have to be pretty heavy too...and crossbows are just clumsier as a general rule, it's why I don't really like them myself...but he's probably strong enough to use it anyway."

"It's a start," Chopper said enthusiastically. "I can't believe you can read all of that just by looking at one arrow though! That's amazing!"

"Haha...well, you know, as the Great Captain Usopp," he began, but his heart really didn't feel in it. Instead, he bent over the bolt again, and drew one of his goggles down to examine it further. "Huh...this is odd though..."

"What?"

"It's just that, the head is a little...awkward. It should be cut down to a point for maximum efficiency, but it's wider and it's got these little divots. Seems like it'd just mess up the flight more..."

Zoro snatched the quarrel away so abruptly that Usopp yelped in surprise. "Hey! Zoro, what was that for? I thought you wanted me to—"

But the swordsman wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead he carefully lowered the quarrel's point, still holding the bolt by his bandana, and held it in front of Chopper's nose. "Hey. Smell anything off?"

"Why would he?" Usopp said hotly, still agitated.

But Chopper had given the quarrel a hesitant, curious sniff, and then rocked back, eyes wide. "Oh," he whispered, looking suddenly horrified. "I didn't smell it before over the...the blood, but...there's poison, it smells terrible!"

"Thought so," Zoro said, looking grim. Usopp suddenly understood why he'd picked up the bolt in his precious bandana. "Those other guys used it in the real world. Huh. They're really playing for keeps here."

Chopper's eyes were looking watery again. "Then...even if I had been able to close the wounds, Nami still would have..." And then his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh no! Sanji helped, he might have some of it on him...and me too, and Robin! We need to wash up right away!" Without another word the little reindeer bolted forward, galloping ahead to warn their cook and archeologist of the danger.

Usopp had expected a reaction, but it took even less time than he thought to see it. Robin agreed calmly, but their cook was another story. Chopper expressly forbade Sanji from attempting to prepare food or even handing out the fruit-nuts they had collected earlier, which put their cook in an even fouler mood than he had already been in due to their running away. Chopper wouldn't allow any form of contact between themselves and the others as well, just in case, and practically threw a fit when Sanji moved as though to take out his cigarettes.

"You don't know how much you could have touched by accident!" the little reindeer repeated, over and over. "What if you accidentally ingest some? You could die almost instantly!"

Which made Sanji even more disagreeable than before. He was incredibly surly, snapped at Zoro over the tiniest of offenses, and said nothing at all to Robin, which was as good as yelling at her for Sanji. For his part, Zoro refused to rise to the bait, which unnerved Usopp more than their bickering would have. The fighting would have been normal, but he didn't like the distracted look in Zoro's eyes, as though he were too busy looking for dangers all around them to bother acting normally. Luffy was still absurdly silent, keeping up their jogging pace easily and raising his hand to his hat every once and a while to hold it steady, but exhibiting almost no reaction otherwise but for his smoldering eyes.

The tension was beginning to weigh on Usopp like an anchor, and he could see it happening to each of the others as well. And the sniper had an uneasy feeling that that tension would snap far too soon—and probably cause something terrible to happen in the process.

But at the very least they were moving, and hopefully keeping one step ahead of the Scorpion Hunters. In the end, they decided to return to the woods after crossing the red-grass field for some distance, hoping for better cover amidst the odd spiral trees. They were in luck. On the other side of the field, the twirling trees slowly gave way to more crystalline ones, oddly fragmented and with leaves that resembled diamonds more than anything organic. They still looked as though they were made of glass of purple and blue shades, but beyond that and their strangely shaped foliage, they resembled the more normal trees they had encountered on their voyage. They were more closely packed, like forests they were used to as well, and the lavender ground was speckled with crystalline bushes and ferns. There would be plenty of cover here for them to hide and create their own ambush, Usopp decided. Glancing over at Robin, he could see she thought the same, and gave him a quiet nod of understanding.

It took almost two hours for them to find a source of running water where the group could rest and (in the case of their doctor, archeologist, and cook) wash up to avoid poisoning. There was a stream flowing through the trees some distance in, oddly orange in color, which Chopper had heard with his more advanced hearing and led them to quickly. Sanji had proclaimed it safe after a few moments of observation and a careful taste-test (an odd thing to watch, seeing as Chopper had forbidden him the use of his hands lest they be poisoned). He and the others moved off downstream to wash up carefully, while the rest of them sated their thirst. Once Sanji, Robin and Chopper returned, Zoro headed downstream a short distance in order to wash his bandana clean, and quietly tied it back around his arm.

When they were all together again, Sanji took the moment to crack a number of the odd purple fruit-nuts, pealing their fleshy insides free. They were all aware that they couldn't risk a fire, and there were no ingredients to add to the meager meal other than the water they drank from the stream. But the cook insisted on performing what little preparations he could for the crew by cracking the fruit-nuts and arranging them, rationing their supplies carefully. Judging by his grimace, Usopp guessed he was frustrated at being unable to completely fulfill his duties as the ship's cook. Or maybe he was still furious about events earlier that day. Usopp certainly couldn't forget; not the spatters of blood, or the unfocused look in Nami's eyes during her last moments, or—

_Stop. Thinking. About it._

"We should not stay here for long," Robin spoke up abruptly.

Everyone jumped, as though not expecting the silence to be broken. Usopp looked over at her curiously, as did Chopper. Sanji regarded her dully a moment later, and then seemed to force a weak smile to his face, as though wearing a mask just for her. Only Zoro and Luffy did not meet her gaze.

"Why is that, Robin-chan?" came the cook's tired voice.

"Sources of water, such as watering holes and rivers, are historically excellent places for ambushes," she answered, her voice almost terrifyingly calm. Usopp wondered how she could be _not_ frightened, not with all this going on. But considering her previous employer he supposed their current predicament probably wasn't much worse than what she had already seen.

"If we wait here, the Scorpion Hunters might locate us easily and set up an attack for us to catch us off guard," Robin concluded quietly. "It would be best if we did not remain here...in the open, at any rate."

"In the open...ah! You mean we should set up an ambush for them here!" Sanji noted, looking genuinely intrigued.

"I think it might be best. They will need water as well, and may stop at this stream. Or they could simply be tracking us here. In either case, it will be us lying in wait for them, instead of the opposite. We may be able to take the advantage away from them that way."

"It makes sense," Usopp agreed, wanting to add his own thoughts to the mix. "There are plenty of places around here to hide. And of course I, the Great Captain Usopp, have a good deal of experience setting traps for the enemy."

"Do you really?" Chopper asked, eyes lighting up. Usopp was pleased at the reaction, and even more at the attention, and yet...something about it still seemed off. Like Chopper's normally innocent reaction wasn't entirely natural; like he was so desperate for reassurance he was conjuring it himself. But then, Usopp shouldn't be surprised. He was an expert at lying, and knew enough to tell when his friends were forcing an untruth. Hell, he didn't feel nearly as relaxed as he was acting.

"Of course I do! Why, one time—"

"Not now," Zoro interrupted, voice sharp.

"But—"

"They'll hear you," was all the swordsman had to say in response, cutting him off before he could even begin to protest. Usopp's jaws snapped shut and he visibly trembled, obviously fought to calm himself down.

They finished their meager meal in near-silence. Zoro had wolfed down his portion of the fruit-nuts and immediately stood, keeping watch while the rest of them fed. Luffy downed just as much food as ever, but uncharacteristically did not complain about the lack of meat, and was uncomfortably silent for the meal, as though deep in thought; a rarity for their captain. Sanji was the only one who really spoke, quietly inquiring if Robin had enough to eat. He was still looking after her, but not with his usual enthusiasm.

Everyone was so worn down already, and it hadn't even been a full day. Usopp dreaded the state they would be in after five...if any of them were left.

_No. Don't think about it!_

When the meal was finished, everyone drank their fill of the water. They had no skins or bottles to keep spare water in, much to Sanji's verbal dismay, so they had to make due in other ways. Once everyone had drunk, they spread out in the area according to Robin's instructions, carefully hiding in a number of locations to cut down on their chances of being found. Usopp was rather pleased to find her asking for his opinions often for hiding each crew member; at least his experiences at _running away_ had come in useful, in the end. He himself picked a nice location behind a clump of crystalline bushes, at the base of a tree trunk. It formed a sort of corner and hid him from practically every angle, making him nearly impossible to see. But if he had to contribute to the next battle, he still had a fairly clear shot of the stream.

Part of him was terrified of the thought of that next battle. He had seen what those men were capable of; he didn't want to be on the receiving end of their abilities. Part of him, however—a much deeper part, but still there—almost wanted a place in that next battle. Usopp had felt guilty from the beginning over this entire mess. Each of his crew-mates was here and suffering because of his actions, his inability to not get caught. And Nami...Nami was _dead_ because of him, because of his stupidity and foolishness and he hadn't deserved their loyalty at all and—

_Stop. Calm down. You're a brave warrior of the sea, Usopp. You can still help get Nami back...but you have to help._

Yes, he determined. It would be terrifying, facing those men, already capable of killing in cold blood. It would be difficult, horrific, and probably all but impossible...but as long as Luffy lead the charge, and they still had a chance to save Nami, Usopp would do his best, pitiful though it might be compared to Zoro or Sanji, to help.

Gritting his teeth with determination, and ignoring the knocking at his knees, Usopp settled into his cozy hiding spot and prepared for the long wait.

* * *

I was kinda surprised how many of you were excited about last chapter just because it was Sanji's point of view. It seems we have a few Sanji-fans in the house! I'm sure he'd be pleased, unless you're a guy, in which case, get lost.

Now I wonder if we've got any Usopp fans out there for this chapter?

Luffy is being quite difficult to write. I think I did okay with him after reading some of the latest released chapters, but it's hard to say. He's always been a tough one to nail down.

As always, if you leave a review, please make it a well rounded one! I'd like to hear what you thought was done well, and what could be improved on. It helps me write better stories!

~VelkynKarma


	5. Breaking the Ambush

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part five of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Note:** This fic has now passed my previous winning fic, _Feral_, in terms of Story Watchers, now clocking in at 15. You guys are all amazing! So now back by popular demand, a very favorite character of y'all! (Alright, that's a blatant lie, this chapter was written before I ever posted, but let's not ruin his fun, eh?)

* * *

"Who said I was weak? No, no, you're wrong there, my dear. Wicked, perhaps. But there's one thing to be said for me."

~_Remembered Death_, Agatha Christie

* * *

Hours had passed. Sanji was sure of it, because though he couldn't see the sun, the pale green sky was beginning to darken as though nightfall was approaching, and he was almost positive they had come to this strange astral world in the morning.

Funny, that. It hadn't even been a full day, and already they had entered a mysterious otherworld, traveled miles, lost one of their crew mates (he shuddered at the thought), and set up a positively desperate stakeout.

And it was desperate. It had sounded like an excellent plan at the beginning: set up an ambush, wait for a few of those crap-Scorpions to show up, smash them into the ground, finish up this disgusting game, and get the hell out of there. Might even still be time to make a late dinner. Naturally he'd make all of Nami-san's favorites, as an apology for failing her, not that it would ever make up for his terrible mistake.

But as the hours passed and the sky began to gradually darken, Sanji began to have doubts on the plan. They had seen neither hide nor hair of their opponents, not at the stream or anywhere else.

He _could_ see a few of his crew mates, though. Not all of them, naturally; they were spread out pretty well, hidden amongst the crystalline brush and trees. But Sanji had a good perch up high in the branches of one of the strange crystal trees, perfect for launching himself down with a series of fierce kicks—and also keeping an eye on two of his crew-members.

Usopp was nestled at the base of Sanji's tree. From the way he had stopped quivering for the past hour and was leaning against the smooth glassy bark, the cook suspected their sniper had burned through his fear in favor of exhaustion and boredom. He was tempted to throw something at Usopp, or perhaps shout at him, but held his voice and his temper in check. No good giving away their positions in case the enemy _was_ out there, after all.

Zoro was the other one in his sights. The swordsman was crouched in a cluster of darker glassy bushes, blending in surprisingly well thanks to their opaque nature. Sanji was honestly surprised the swordsman hadn't fallen asleep waiting. But he could see Zoro's eyes, rimmed with the bandit-like shadows cast by the bandana tied over his stupid marimo head, wide and intense, just waiting. His swords were still sheathed, but even at this distance Sanji could see the man's jaw clenching tightly, as though he was itching to put his three-sword style to use. Well, they _were_ gearing up for a fight, Sanji admitted. As unreliable as the stupid swordsman was, he was inevitably always prepared when it came to battle. He supposed this one was no exception, even if the actual ass-kicking hadn't started yet.

Sanji didn't know where Robin-chan was, or Chopper, but he didn't need to worry over them so much. Even if the wait was tedious, he was sure both were intelligent enough not to blow their cover. Luffy, however, was another story. Sanji didn't know where their captain had hidden away, but Luffy was the antithesis of patient. Frankly, the cook was amazed Luffy had stayed out of sight as long as he had.

He hoped the crap-Scorpions showed up soon. He wasn't sure how much longer their crew would last, waiting to spring this ambush. The Strawhats had never been an especially tactical crew; with Luffy at the lead, and marimo always raring for a fight, they tended to take the direct, unsubtle route whenever they could. A mix of fatigue and impatience could kill this plan before it really got started, wearing them out and burning them down, and they couldn't afford that. Not with Nami-san's and Robin-chan's lives on the line, and everyone else...

As if answering his unsaid plea, there was a quiet shuffling up ahead, followed by a thousand tiny chimes as a few of the crystalline bushes were gently pushed past. Sanji narrowed his eyes and shifted carefully, searching in the direction of the sounds for their creators. His search was rewarded. Within minutes, a pair of figures stepped into view, cautiously approaching the stream while keeping their hands on their weapons.

It took Sanji a few seconds to identify them, but he had a good memory when it came to names and faces. The first man was Jovis, who had recorded himself as the Scorpion Hunters' navigator. As before, the tall, thin man still looked exceptionally nervous, and spent his time wringing his hands. Sanji didn't buy the act for an instant; the malicious glitter in the man's eyes was enough to convince him his nervousness wasn't real. The other man, Tazan—or had it been Cocoa?—trotted at his side with an equally vicious look on his face, his lips peeled back to reveal the teeth that the man had filed down to points. He was also wearing metal gauntlets up his arms now that hadn't been there back in the real world. Sanji narrowed his eyes dangerously at the man. Tazan was the crap-Scropions' cook, and thus his immediate opposite in this battle.

He wanted to leap free immediately, put his foot through the grinning man's skull, but he restrained himself. They had agreed to wait until the men had their back to the stream and had obviously dropped their guard. No matter how badly he wanted the first crack at them, it wasn't the time, not yet, and he wouldn't jeopardize Nami-san's safety.

The men crept closer to the water, still looking hesitant. Tazan barked something to his partner that Sanji couldn't quite catch, but Jovis immediately turned and kept an eye on his surroundings. Moments later, Tazan produced a number of water skins from his belt and began filling them with the orange water. Sanji found himself grudgingly admitting the man was more prepared as a cook than he, since he couldn't even carry water for the rest of the Strawhats. It made him want to split the man's skull even more.

He grit his teeth, and wished desperately they were clamped around a cigarette—he had forbidden himself one until the ambush was completed, for fear of giving away his location with the smoke. Fighting off the dull, throbbing urge for nicotine, he tightened his grip on the crystal branches of his perch and leaned a little closer, trying to overhear their conversation. He could make out bits and pieces; something about their tracker hot on the 'stupid strawhats' tails, how they had already 'bagged one,' and how this match should be cake. The cook growled, tightened his hands on the branches further, and felt miniscule cracks begin to form beneath his fingers from the pressure.

He wanted so badly to attack, but the pair were still too wary. Tazan was filling the water skins still and re-clipping them to his belt, but he was obviously keeping an eye on things in the reflection of the water around his nasty grin. And Jovis was still back to back with his fellow hunter, eyeing the crystal woods warily, obviously at the ready. Not yet. Just a few more minutes of waiting, and they would have them—

_"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"_

_"No!"_ Sanji rasped under his breath, clenching his teeth to keep the shriek of anger from escaping too far. Luffy's rubber fist rocketed from some point beyond his peripheral vision to his right, heading with alarming speed straight for Jovis' twitching, nervous face.

But the anxious look disappeared instantly, replaced by a knowing, expectant one. The man dodged aside quickly, rolling along the ground and coming to a balanced kneel with obvious expertise. With a roar his weak voice, suddenly suffused with strength, shouted, "_Web-Web Needle Spray!_" A number of objects shot from his fist and crashed into the foliage at Sanji's right with the tinkling sounds of a hundred suddenly shattering glass sculptures.

_Damn it!_ Sanji swore to himself, and his grip was so tight he nearly broke one of the branches of his own tree. _The man's gotta be a Devil Fruit user...and Luffy screwed up our ambush!_

Tazan had spun and come to his feet, fists held up before him at the ready. His saw-tooth grin was wide, and he licked his razor teeth hungrily, as though expecting a meal. Sanji fought hard to keep himself in place. Luffy might have given himself a way, but they still had the rest of the crew hidden and ready to act...

Or not. Sanji felt like screaming in frustration, and directing a few hundred curses down at his captain and crew mate. Luffy had apparently dodged Jovis' attack and bounded into the open, fury openly on his face in a way that Sanji had rarely seen before in all their travels. But even as he openly displayed himself, pounding his hands together angrily at the start of the fight, Zoro burst free from his own hidden location, swords already in place. He supposed it made sense, that their captain could probably use the backup against two clearly dangerous opponents, but he wanted to kick that shitty marimo's head into the nearest crystal-tree for fucking up a perfectly good plan.

Tazan was laughing now. "Just lay the bait and mice come out to play," he cackled gleefully. "And then the best part...the cat gets to eat'em, see?"

"_You hurt Nami,_" Luffy merely growled in response. "You hurt her, and you're gonna pay for it. I'm gonna kill you!"

"As if you could," Tazan sneered.

Luffy roared wordlessly and drew back his fist, rocketing it forward in another powerful punch, this time at the cook's grinning face. The man didn't even bother to dodge, but simply gestured to his companion, saying calmly, "Would you?"

Jovis, instead of responding, raised the fingers on both hands and yelled, "_Web-Web Sticky Strike!_" A dozen pencil-thick filaments shot forth like wriggling snakes, smashing into Luffy's rocketing fist. They did little to stop the attack—Luffy's pistol move had far too much momentum backing it—but that didn't seem to be Jovis' intent. He had angled the strings downward, and they knocked the attack off course, sending Luffy's fist smashing into the ground with a shock wave that sent the crystal trees around them chiming anxiously.

Snarling, Luffy withdrew his stretched arm to launch a new attack—or tried to. Wherever the filaments had touched his skin they had become firmly fastened, and many had stuck his rubber fist to the ground as well.

"You're not the only one who's eaten a Devil Fruit, Straw Hat Luffy," Jovis said. His voice was still tinged with a shuddering anxiety, but his confident face exposed the lie for what it was. "I've eaten the Web-Web Fruit. It's excellent for catching unwanted pirates. I think you'll be my opponent."

"You damn—"

"Don't worry, Luffy," Zoro managed to snarl around the hilt of his favored white sword. Sanji had yet to figure out how he spoke at all, with that thing jammed between his teeth, not that it mattered. The swordsman's murderous eyes shifted to the still-grinning cook, and he added coldly, "I'll take care of this guy. When we're done we'll be one ahead in this game."

Luffy's eyes narrowed in determination and fell upon his own opponent. With a grim, frightening look he nodded, and without hesitation the battle was on.

That was all well and good, Sanji decided, but something was troubling him. Not Jovis; that the man was a Devil Fruit user was a bit of a shock, but Luffy had faced nastier Fruit users before and lived to tell about it. And as much as he wanted to put his own foot through Tazan's disgusting saw-tooth grin, he was fairly certain marimo could hold his own against the bastard, at least for a little while.

No, it was something else that bit at his mind, nagged him about the danger. Luffy and Zoro could hold their own, but something told him they shouldn't be in this fight, that something wasn't right about the scenario...

" 'Just lay the bait and mice come out to play,' " Sanji repeated softly under his breath. _Lay the bait..._Tazan implied that this was a setup, a trap; that their presence wasn't mere chance, and their encounter with their two strongest crew members wasn't mere coincidence. And Tazan was _far_ too confident while saying that, as well. The crap-Scorpions had seemed to know at least a little about the Strawhat crew, would _have_ to know that they were facing off against two highly dangerous, bountied pirates rated at one hundred sixty _million_ beri between them. That kind of bounty didn't come easily, and no one was foolish enough to face off against such obviously deadly opponents without a little insurance.

Which meant that there were probably more crap-Scorpions on hand, Sanji realized suddenly. It would be easy to bait out the strongest fighters on the crew, then take them down with some underhanded means while in the middle of combat. Luffy would be too enraged to pay attention to anything but his fight with Jovis, and stupid marimo's swordsman's code would keep him equally focused on Tazan without suspecting an intruder in their battle. And they probably intended to draw Sanji out as well in some way or another. If they'd done their research, they'd know full well that he was easily one of the three strongest members of the team. And without the main trio of combatants, Robin-chan, Chopper and Usopp would be easy pickings...

No. He, Sanji, wouldn't let that happen. He'd keep an eye out for the other crap-Scorpions, try to figure out where they were...and he wouldn't let himself rise to the bait. He had to stay hidden, for the safety of the entire crew. And he had to trust that Luffy and Zoro could handle themselves in a fight without needing his help in direct combat. He'd be too busy covering their backs from sneak-attacks to be able to contribute like that.

So he kept half an eye on the battles while keeping the rest of his attention focused on the surrounding woods. Fortunately, neither Luffy nor the marimo seemed to be in trouble yet. Luffy had finally managed to free his arm (and a sizable chunk of lavender earth with it) and was already launching a vicious and enthusiastic gatling gun round at his new opponent. Jovis dodged most of the hits, retaliating with his sticky attack to try and pin Luffy down, and the two were off in their own fast-paced battle in moments.

Zoro was much the same. He hadn't hesitated to launch a few powerful sword-strikes at the grinning Tazan, immediately pushing for the offensive. Surprisingly, the enemy cook hadn't moved to dodge, but rather to block, and with a ringing _clang_ the katanas met metal gauntlets and were repelled. Sanji winced. Probably steel, then. He thought Zoro might've had an attack to cut metal—hadn't he been going to slice Usopp's manacles off, back in the real world?—but he probably didn't have the time to prepare it, not with the cook now throwing metal-encased punches his way. Shitty swordsman, totally useless when he needed to get something done. Sanji itched to join the battle, _either_ battle, but he still had seen no signs of the other Scorpions, and he knew there had to be at least _one_ more here.

On the bright side, at least the other three hadn't revealed themselves yet. Usopp probably hadn't out of cowardice, but Robin-chan had more common sense than that, and likely Chopper as well. They still had a shot to create an ambush, if only they could locate the others—

There was an almighty roar from the battlefield, and Sanji's head snapped back to it almost automatically. He had ignored the slamming, banging, and shouts of _gomu-gomu_ and _oni giri _almost out of habit, but this noise was new, and drew his attention. Luffy was still holding his own easily, despite one arm now being fastened firmly to his vest by sticky webs, but that wasn't where the roar originated from. No, that sound had most certainly come from Tazan—who was launching his razor-toothed jaws towards Zoro's face with a stunning display of speed.

Zoro's eyes widened in surprise beneath his shadow-made bandit mask, and he jerked his head aside, barely. Tazan's jaws snapped shut with a violent _crunch_ that Sanji could hear even from his elevated perch, a hair's breadth from the left side of Zoro's neck. _Damn_. First a Devil-Fruit user, and how a human with jaw strength to match Arlong's, and the teeth to go with it.

But Zoro was used to adaptive fighting, and reacted quickly. His swords were angled poorly for a vital strike, but he was able to ram the hilt of one of them into Tazan's side. The enemy cook recoiled with a grunt, and Zoro's swords were instantly at the ready, lashing out rapidly in a series of potentially lethal strikes. Tazan blocked each one with his sturdy metal gauntlets, and the two came to a standstill, both ready to move at the slightest sign of a twitch.

"Fast," Tazan noted. His lips peeled back into another vicious grin, filed teeth glinting brightly in the fading pale green light. Zoro said nothing. Both ducked slightly as a shower of dirt rained over them, courtesy of Luffy peeling another limb free from where it had been secured to the crumbling earth, and then Tazan spoke up again. "Never had anyone dodge that before. Pity. Eyes are a favorite delicacy of mine."

Sanji felt a shiver go up his spine, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared down at the opposing crap-Scorpion. As a cook, he couldn't condone cannibalism, implied or not. Hell, he'd always felt queasy every time he looked at the crap-geezer's peg-leg, for more than one reason.

Zoro still said nothing, only shifted his balance as Luffy smashed down at the ground with a rubber kick, sending the earth rumbling and the crystalline trees chiming. Tazan stumbled, Zoro launched an attack that was once again blocked, if barely this time, and the two came to a wary standstill once more.

"Not that it matters, really," Tazan continued casually. He paused to throw a few vicious punches in Zoro's direction, which the swordsman blocked with ease, and then added casually, "After all, when you have dessert _too_ much, it's not really dessert anymore, right? And that's the sort of thing that's supposed to be special."

Sanji froze. He wasn't really implying...was he? Unbidden, a vicious growl gurgled low in his throat, and his lips began to peel back slowly in a furious grimace.

To his credit, Zoro kept his cool and didn't respond. He did an admirable job of trying to get around the opposing man's defenses, slashing repeatedly outward with his three katanas, but none of the powerful weapons would shatter steel and get past the enemy cook's powerful gauntlets.

If only Sanji could enter the battle—

_No. Keep looking!_ The cook jumped back to his self-appointed task, appalled that he'd let Tazan distract him from his search for further enemies. His eyes flickered briefly over Luffy's battle. Their captain was now sporting several superficial cuts all over his skin, presumably from more of Jovis' web-needle attacks, but thankfully had managed to free his arm from his vest. Sanji could still see the tears of red cloth stuck to Luffy's arm. Jovis, by contrast, was favoring a leg, and one of his arms drooped, as though it pained him to use it. Sanji allowed himself a momentary grin; Luffy always gave as good as he got. But then the cook forced himself back to his search, trusting that marimo and his captain could hold out long enough.

Then Tazan spoke again, and Sanji couldn't help it. Unbidden, he abandoned his search once more, focused in fury on the enemy cook as the shark-like man managed to wriggle under his skin once again.

"You didn't think you could hide her, did you?"

Zoro still said nothing, only bared his teeth around the hilt of his white katana and pressed on further, harder than before, more violently as he struggled to break the man's defense. Sanji, however, could feel his blood starting to boil. That _bastard_...that bastard couldn't possibly be implying, he wouldn't have, _no_ cook would have—

"Admirable I suppose, better than I would have thought for pirates. I never thought you vermin would look after your own. But come on—you didn't even bother to disguise it, y'know? A pile of rocks? Sword-cut stone? How obvious is that?"

_That bastard wouldn't—_

"She's quite pretty, you know." A dodge, a punch, a block as Zoro's swords came arrowing in, inches from the man's face but never biting, and that disgusting, wide, toothy grin. "I woulda liked a crack at her myself, Eagle-Eye gets all the fun—"

_That fucking...that...he didn't really—_

"—but it just figures, it's first come, first serve, huh? Well, maybe he got to kill her, but _I_ found her first—"

_That son of a bitch, is that what he meant by _dessert?_ That bastard, I'll kill him—_

_Calm down! Focus! Search!_

"—and after we let Doku confirm the kill, well, I had free reign—"

_You disgusting, sick son of a bitch, you fucking shit-sicko_—All pretense of searching was abandoned now. Sanji had eyes only for that cook, still grinning widely, showing razor shark-teeth, that disgusting grin wide as he spoke, snapped at his opponent's swords, dodged, blocked, attacked wildly.

"—and well, you know, as a cook I tend to advocate dinner before dessert, but," Tazan finished, lips parted wide, tongue lashing over his teeth as he licked disgustingly in memory, "I can make an exception to the rule for special occasions, if you know what I mean."

The words were spoken to Zoro, and Zoro didn't respond with anything but another succession of sword-slashes, but he wasn't meant to do anything else anyway. Tazan was still grinning in triumph, and the reason was soon clear.

Because at that moment, Sanji saw red. At that moment, nothing else mattered; not the game, not the tactics, not the ambush, not the presence of any single other person, friend or foe. At that moment, all that mattered was that this man, this disgusting, offensive, shitty excuse for a cook—no, for a _man_—had taken Nami-san's memory, Nami-san's body, Nami-san's very _existence_, all the things Sanji had tried so hard to protect and failed, and defiled it in a way that was unforgivable on an infinite number of levels.

He didn't hear or see anything else other than Tazan, not panicked yells of warning or delighted screeches of triumph. All he knew was that in seconds he had launched himself from his perch in the tree into the open with a roar, revealing himself to the enemy, and went pelting straight for Tazan's slimy body in the span of five seconds.

* * *

Oh dear. In retrospect, not that much happened in this chapter. Well, I _guarantee_ you some heart-pounding action next chapter!

Scorpions actually do practice cannibalism, or some of them do at any rate. Tazan could just be making it up to taunt them out, or he could be serious. I'll leave that up to you guys to decide.

I did the research for a Japanese version of the fruit name (y'know, _blank-blank no mi_) but 'web' was way too long a word, so I'm taking the english route for new Devil Fruits. Hope it doesn't bug anybody.

As always, if you decide to review, please leave something constructive! I love getting feedback, regardless of the type.

~VelkynKarma


	6. First Blood

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part six of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Warning:** Slightly gritty chapter. Some graphic violence. You've been warned.

* * *

"It is always better to sacrifice your opponent's men."

~Savielly Tartakover, Polish Grand Master

* * *

Things happened very fast after that.

Zoro was rather surprised despite himself at how rapidly the situation shifted. One moment he was fighting, landing strike after strike on that annoying cook Tazan's metal gauntlets, searching rapidly, violently for some sort of weakness to press forward at. He wasn't exactly successful, but he could already tell he had more endurance than the shark-like man; if necessary he could beat him into submission simply by outlasting him, though it would be a very unsatisfying conclusion.

But then everything changed, and the next moment a number of things happened in rapid succession. The swordsman heard a roar sounding from behind him, a scream of near-primal fury that sounded suspiciously like the love-cook, growing closer by the second. Zoro hadn't seen or heard from him until now, but in retrospect, their obnoxiously sensitive cook had probably been affected by Tazan's meaningless rants about Nami. Didn't curly-brow know better than to listen to an enemy's taunting?

There was another panicked yell from behind following seconds later. This one sounded like Chopper, to judge from the high pitch of the voice, though it was hard to hear over the _clang_ of metal on metal as Zoro expertly blocked a vicious punch from Tazan's metal gauntlets. The tinkling of the strange, crystalline leaves seemed oddly loud as well, though Zoro could see nothing occurring behind him or find the source.

It didn't matter anyway. All that mattered was his opponent, in front of him. This man had to die quickly so that they could save their nakama, and Zoro was intent upon his job. Moreso now; if he was right, and Sanji _had _been taunted into battle by this stupid shark-cook, then it was best to finish the battle quickly before curly-brow could mess things up.

But then the fight shifted.

Tazan's eyes flickered over Zoro's shoulder. It was only for a second, but Zoro, ever observant in combat, saw it. And there was no mistaking the way the man's lips pulled back for an even wider, pointed grin at whatever he saw. Then, with unexpected suddenness, he drew a deep breath and yelled, _"Now!"_

There was a screech of surprise behind Zoro, and moments later he could hear other yells vaguely, at the edge of his senses; but he had more pressing things to worry about. At Tazan's yell, the enemy cook had launched himself forward at Zoro suddenly, pointed jaws wide with a triumphant, vicious grin. And that wasn't all. At the edge of his shaded vision Zoro could see Luffy all tied up in adhesive threads, struggling with frustration against the sticky bonds. His opponent, the Devil-Fruit user Jovis, suddenly abandoned his battle with the captain, assured that the rubber-man wouldn't intrude. The enemy navigator stretched his fingers out, turned towards Zoro, and with a victorious expression slashed his hands at the swordsman and hissed, _"Web-Web Needle Spray!"_

A double attack. Zoro's eyes narrowed beneath his bandana, and the intense disgust on his face was so strong it was practically tangible. Just as underhanded as their last tactic, and just as potentially lethal; these men certainly were playing for keeps. But though their technique was nearly flawless, and would have killed most of the pirates they hunted for their bounties, they had forgotten to factor in one thing: that their opponent was the demon, Roronoa Zoro, and that Jovis had just entered himself into the demon's own battle.

Zoro turned on one heel with alarming speed, causing Tazan to actually flinch aside, as though the man expected an attack. Or perhaps he was attempting to dodge the love-cook; out of the corner of his eye, Zoro could see the man charging towards them, blind fury in his expression. It hardly mattered, anyway. Tazan wasn't Zoro's target.

He barely flinched when Tazan's razor-sharp teeth dug into his outer thigh, took the hit without caring. A necessary sacrifice, and unimportant. He didn't attempt to dodge either when hundreds of web-needles gouged superficial gashes into his skin, merely raised his arms and swords before his bowed head to protect his face. Some of the wounds were not so superficial; he could feel a few digging dangerously far into his shoulders and arms, but only registered them enough to make sure he could still move his sword arms.

Then he shifted fluidly into his own attack. With Tazan still clamped to his leg, stunned expression on his face even as he tried to bite deeper and still received no reaction, and with Jovis gawking at him in suddenly understanding horror, Zoro brought his swords to bear, locked furious, unforgiving eyes with the enemy navigator, and brought his katanas slashing around with unerring, deadly precision.

_"108 Pound Cannon: Fatal Strike."_

* * *

Sanji had known the marimo for a while, and yet the sight was still stunning...and more than a little appalling, too. Not that fact that _that bastard _was still clamped to his leg, shark-like teeth dug deeply into flesh as though attempting to tear a piece free. The fact that marimo didn't react to that wasn't really surprising; he'd definitely been through worse in some of their past battles. Though Sanji did admittedly get a slight satisfaction out of Tazan's stunned expression. Clearly the crap-Scorpion cook was used to more panic when people discovered they were being _eaten,_ and their swordsman's complete lack of caring had to be new.

But what Zoro had done to the navigator...

The amount of blood was stunning. The navigator had been at least thirty feet away, and yet he ripped apart as though a sword had been taken directly to his body regardless. No, _three_ swords. The man was currently split into multiple sections, after all, and Zoro had only swung once. He'd practically exploded with blood, and when he thudded to the ground it had been in several pieces; his head was _definitely_ no longer connected to his body, nor was one arm, and his chest seemed uncomfortably split open with a gash that practically mirrored the scar running down Zoro's own chest.

His eyes were still open in horrified surprise. His blood was already dripping into the orange stream, tainting it a deeper color. No good drinking from there now; that source was ruined, a part of the cook's mind told him vaguely.

Sanji knew it was necessary, that killing was part of the rules of the game, and he'd seen enough death and smelled enough blood that he didn't feel the need to throw up right then and there. Hell, he still wanted to smash that sick Scorpion bastard's skull open himself. But the fact that Zoro could kill with so much ease, without hesitation, without an ounce of mercy...now _that_ was a little shocking.

Sanji knew their swordsman was ridiculously strong (not that he enjoyed admitting it). The man was perfectly capable of dealing out death left and right, and Sanji had often felt the aura of murderous intent that surrounded Zoro in some of their more intense battles. He didn't doubt that Zoro had probably killed in the past, whether out of self defense or simply due to his previous job as a pirate hunter. But to date he had never actually seen the swordsman kill. Perhaps he was just imitating Luffy, or acting on his orders, pulling his punches so to speak when it came to their past adventures. But this came as a shocking reminder that Zoro was still just as capable as ever to go as far as he had to when it came to a fight.

It was a little overwhelming.

Zoro turned away from the torn, already-dead body of Jovis before it even hit the lavender earth, and shifted his intense gaze to Tazan, whose jaws were still buried in his leg. It was probably a terrifying moment for the enemy cook, Sanji thought with furious satisfaction, though he wished he was the one to cause the obvious terror in the man's face. Still, Zoro—a bleeding, injured, utterly uncaring, and clearly deadly Zoro—glaring down at his next opponent was a fair enough substitute, considering the circumstances. After all, Zoro _did_ look out for his nakama as well, frustrating though it might be to admit sometimes.

Tazan tore his jaws free from Zoro's leg suddenly, eyes still wide in horror as he realized just how much danger he was really in. Strips of flesh dangled from his sawlike teeth, but he had fortunately not taken a full bite out of Zoro's leg, which would save them problems later. Instead of pressing his attack, the man whirled, darting as fast as his legs would carry him back the way he had originally come.

Sanji snarled and turned to give chase—there was no way he was letting that man get out of here alive. But then he heard the voice of his captain: loud, but with deadly intent, Luffy's voice gave an unshakable warning. "Zoro! Sanji! _Down!_"

Sanji didn't hesitate; he threw himself to the lavender dirt, flattening himself as much as he could. He could see Zoro doing the same out of the corner of his eye, or maybe his leg had just given out from under him, but within seconds the both of them were face down on the ground, watching Tazan's panicked retreat with impatience.

They didn't have long to wait. Luffy's fist came roaring overhead along with the call for his pistol attack, still trailing hundreds of snapped sticky filaments. Apparently Jovis' webbing grew weaker after death, allowing Luffy to break himself free. The rubber fist connected with Tazan's back, and the man crashed to the ground with a scream of both pain and surprise.

Luffy wasn't finished. He bounded over both his crew mates with one stretchy leg, leapt into the air, and with a howl of _"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"_ launched a hundred or more rapid-fire punches at the crap-Scorpion's unprotected back.

Glass trees shattered and crystal leaves cracked into dust under the furious assault of Strawhat Luffy. Tazan screamed, ducked under the wild attack, and tried desperately to protect himself, holding up his steel-gauntleted hands in front of his face. The metal rebounded a few of Luffy's punches, but others connected with vicious accuracy. The _snap_ of breaking bones was inaudible under the cracking glass trees, but Sanji was sure that Luffy had broken more than a few, to judge by the man's limping and the way one hand clamped to his side.

Still, though terrified, in pain, and obviously unprepared, Tazan remained annoyingly durable. He managed to stumble to his feet as Luffy's assault came to an end, already moving for the trees with shocking speed despite his obvious leg injury. As he ran, he half-yelled, half-rasped, "Beat it, Eagle-Eye! Too dangerous!" and then disappeared into the crystal forest.

Something about that bugged Sanji, but he was too angry to care at that moment. He heaved himself to his feet quickly, taking quick stock of their surroundings. He was uninjured, other than maybe a slight bruise when he hurled himself to the ground. Zoro was bleeding badly from a number of injuries, both superficial and fairly serious, and he stumbled when he went to stand. But really, when was he ever _not _covered in blood anyway? Luffy looked alright for the most part too, other than a similar selection of superficial cuts from Jovis' needle attacks. Hell, he probably did more damage to himself when he attacked Tazan just now; his gatling gun had shattered a number of trees, and there were still shards puncturing his hands and wrists, blood dripping over his fingers. Despite their injuries, all looked ready to continue the fight, and all of them were already stepping forward to charge after Tazan.

That was when the distressed calls came from behind them.

"Captain-san! Come here!"

"Luffy, d-don't...don't follow, not yet!"

Sanji whirled immediately at the sound of Robin-chan's voice. There was a tremor to it he didn't think he'd ever heard before, the closest his darling Robin-chan had ever come to sheer panic or fear, and somehow it sent a chill up his spine. If she'd been injured too—

At first he felt relief. Robin-chan was still there, kneeling on the ground but otherwise unharmed. There was no weapon protruding from her body, and she seemed to be entirely intact. She was safe.

Then Sanji saw the rest of the scene, and his heart plummeted to his stomach.

* * *

Robin had not, admittedly, expected the ambush to go perfectly, even when she suggested the idea. Something always and inevitably went wrong when the crew tried to plan ahead, as the Strawhats were far better at winging it than they were at setting elaborate traps.

So when she suggested the ambush, she was almost certain that Captain-san, and probably Swordsman-san as well, would be the first to break it. Neither one was really made for an ambush anyway; both were far too accustomed to meeting their opponents head-on in direct combat. She had planned accordingly, placing the others from the crew in positions that would provide cover or observation well and did not rely on the placements of their captain or swordsman.

What she hadn't expected was that anyone _else_ would burst free from hiding. Especially Cook-san. Though he was a regular combatant—indeed, Robin would go so far as to say one of the top combatants of the crew—she also knew he had some experience with the more subtle forms of war. After all, he had played his 'Mr. Prince' game perfectly back in Alabasta, when she was still allied with Crocodile, in order to keep the rest of his nakama safe.

So when Cook-san leapt down from his perch in the crystal tree she had assigned him to, Robin had to admit to herself that she was privately stunned. Though she supposed she shouldn't be, she thought. It was obvious that Tazan was trying to bait a few more crew members free, and he had hit on the exact subject to enrage Cook-san past the point of thinking.

He was already pelting towards Swordsman-san and his opponent, a look of unbridled fury on his face, when Doctor-san leapt from one of the crystal bushes some fifteen feet away from her, shouting frantically (and shrilly) for their cook to come back. Robin kept her expression cool out of habit, but inside she was groaning in disappointment. With only herself and Longnose-kun left, their ambush had been effectively destroyed. Their opponents certainly were clever.

She was just planning to rise to her feet and enter the battle as well—their ambush was useless, but she could still provide backup in the fights against Tazan and Jovis—when it happened. _"Now,"_ roared Tazan, and the next second a sharp squeal permeated the air, and Doctor-san collapsed to the ground.

Robin was stunned, but only allowed herself to falter for a moment. Cook-san was too intent on Tazan to have noticed Doctor-san. She doubted he had even heard Doctor-san calling him, from the obvious fury on his face. So she had to act herself. Still remaining hidden—if the sniper was about, which seemed likely now, she didn't want to provide another target for the man—she crossed her arms and murmured _"Veinte Fleur"_ quickly. Twenty disembodied limbs sprouted in a line near Doctor-san, dragging him away towards the tree Cook-san had occupied until recently. It would provide more cover and hopefully she would be able to examine him there, without being spotted.

There was screaming going on in the direction of the stream, where the major battle was occurring, but Robin did her best to ignore it. What was important now was Doctor-san. Crouching low, she slipped quickly through the crystal bushes, doing her best to keep her location hidden still, and shuffled towards their reindeer-doctor. Doctor-san wasn't moving, but at this angle she couldn't see what was wrong, or even if he was still alive.

She had almost reached the little doctor when Longnose-kun jumped free from his own hidden location at the base of the same tree she'd dragged Doctor-san to. Robin felt like screaming in frustration. Out in the open, Longnose-kun was a perfect target; he would inevitably meet the same fate as Doctor-san. Why were her nakama going to die all around her like this? Why couldn't she _stop_ it?

But Longnose-kun surprised her. His slingshot was in his hand, but he wasn't aiming for the battle by the stream. Instead, knees shaking, eyes unabashedly dripping with horrified tears, he lifted the slingshot and aimed for a tree a little ways down the clearing.

_"E-exploding Star!"_

The pellet fired and burst on impact, colliding with the reflective crystal tree. Robin had no doubts about Longnose-kun's handiwork, having seen the exploding stars (among others) at work before. But she hadn't expected the entire tree to simply _shatter_ with an overwhelming series of cracking booms, sending shards of odd natural glass flying everywhere. Smoke filled the air, hovering over the impact site, and Robin heard a distinct panicked _scream_ from within, as though its owner was in pain.

"Eagle-Eye?" She said quickly from behind Longnose-kun, as she came around the tree towards the fallen reindeer.

Longnose-kun jumped and spun, already leveling his slingshot in a blind panic, but froze as he recognized Robin. Shakily, he nodded. "Y-yeah. I traced the shot, b-but...I w-wasn't fast en-nough..." And his watery eyes dropped to the doctor's unmoving form.

"We don't know anything for sure yet," Robin said crisply, forcing herself to act calm as always for the sniper's benefit. Longnose-kun was close to panicking, but if there were other ranged attackers in the brush, they would need his assistance. It was important for them to stay calm.

Slipping forward into the open, now willing to take the risk, she bent down over Doctor-san and began looking him over. Not turning to look at Longnose-kun, she asked him quickly, "Do you think their sniper is gone?"

"I—I'm not—"

"Longnose-kun," she said, calmly but a little sharply. "Do you think he's gone?"

He shuddered, took a deep breath, and then hesitantly nodded. "I...I think so. I wasn't expecting the tree to break like that, I just wanted to distract him, but he probably got hurt pretty bad with the explosion..."

"Good." Robin returned to her examination, but already knew the results without really having to. There was a crossbow bolt lodged between Doctor-san's eyes, exactly the same as the one that had taken Navigator-san's life. The reindeer had probably died almost instantly. There was nothing that they could have done.

"Is...is he..." Longnose-kun was still trembling, seemed unable to take his eyes from the body that had been one of his closest friends only moments before.

Robin didn't answer that question. Instead, she said quietly, "You did the right thing, Longnose-kun."

"But he's still—"

"Eagle-Eye could have hurt others," she said smoothly, fighting for every scrap of calm in her voice. Watching these people who had genuinely cared about her dying in front of her was a nightmare, but she would do her best to keep them together and save the rest of them. If that meant keeping her cold, professional personality to keep them calm then she'd do it without hesitation. "You chased him away. You may have saved someone else's life, Usopp."

He looked shocked that she used his actual name, but that seemed to drive home the importance of her words. He still looked sick, and terrified, but her words seemed to wash away some of his guilt at least.

"Beat it, Eagle-Eye! Too dangerous!"

Both pirates snapped their eyes over to the battle in surprise; they had been so intent on their own situation they hadn't spared much attention to the battle by the stream. Captain-san and Swordsman-san were both streaming blood from a number of wounds, though Cook-san thankfully looked unhurt. Jovis, or what Robin assumed to be Jovis, was sprawled on the ground near the stream in a pool of blood, nearly unrecognizable. Only Tazan remained of their enemies, but he was already running out of sight across the stream. Captain-san, Swordsman-san, and Cook-san darted forward to give chase.

But that couldn't happen; they couldn't allow themselves to be split up. Robin understood that, and judging by Longnose-kun's stunned and horrified look, he did too. Both opened their mouths to speak at the same time, calling for their companions.

"Captain-san! Come here!"

"Luffy, d-don't...don't follow, not yet!"

The three of them spun, still wearing the intense expressions of battle. Robin ignored them for the present, caught a last glance at Tazan's retreating back, and quietly grew an eye between his shoulder-blades. They couldn't give chase now, but it wouldn't do to allow the man to get away, either.

The expressions on the three combatants were rapidly changing now. The intensity of battle was fading from Swordsman-san's face, but his anger remained as he stared at the unmoving body of Doctor-san in front of her. Cook-san's expression had shifted to sheer stunned horror, and Captain-san's eyes were fixed on the unmoving reindeer, wide and blank.

Then they were all running towards their crew mates, even Swordsman-san, though he favored one leg heavily. Captain-san crashed to his knees by Doctor-san's side, holding out his hands to the unmoving reindeer as though expecting some sort of response, but their was none. He slapped the furry head lightly on the side instead, tugged gently at his antlers, poked the fuzzy pink hat, tried to force some sort of reaction. Doctor-san remained completely still, eyes wide but blank in empty shock, mouth still partly agape.

Still there was no response, not at first. Captain-san still kept poking, prodding, as though he didn't entirely understand what had happened. Or rather, Robin decided quietly, he _did_ know what happened—he was perceptive enough for that—and he just didn't want to accept it.

But then Longnose-kun started quietly sobbing next to her, whimpered guiltily, "S-sorry, Luffy," and it was as if those two tiny words broke the dam. Captain-san seemed to bend, as if under the weight of the entire _Going Merry_, and his shoulders began to shake. When his head lifted again, his eyes were filled with tears, huge and powerful, unashamed of the act itself and yet horribly shamed for allowing himself to lose another nakama. It was, to Robin, one of the most terrifying sights she had ever seen, to see Strawhat Luffy bend like that. She had seen him mopey, sullen, annoyed, in pain, and yet never had she seen tears flow like they did now.

The others apparently hadn't as well. Swordsman-san looked quietly disturbed, and glanced away from them almost immediately. His hands were still on his swords, and he looked back in the direction that Tazan had run, as though debating giving chase. But he didn't move, and though he shed no tears, Robin could practically feel his own frustration and shame. It was unsurprising, really; even with the little time she had been with the Strawhat crew, it was obvious that Swordsman-san and Doctor-san had unexpectedly bonded. The young reindeer had always run to Swordsman-san first if upset or scared, and the Demon Zoro had uncharacteristically responded like an elder brother might. To see one of his nakama, and an unofficial personal charge at that, dead before him was probably something deeply upsetting to him.

Cook-san was equally affected by the young doctor's death. Unlike Swordsman-san, Cook-san made no effort to repress or even hide his tears. Robin suspected he was crying for two, now. The shock of Navigator-san's death had been too sudden for him, but now he was allowing himself to feel again. That was good, at least; it brought him closer back to what he had been before. Now he stood behind Captain-san, trembling, fists clenched, tears running, and quietly stared down at the body before her.

Longnose-kun was still sobbing, and Robin suspected that she had not alleviated his guilt as much as she wished she could. There was only so much he could do, and he had to understand he wasn't responsible for Doctor-san's death; that he wasn't responsible for _any_ of this. She would have to talk to him later, if she could. If she lived.

And as for herself...

Inside, Robin felt like screaming. Inside she could feel her curse already at work, could _see_ the Strawhats she associated herself with now crumbling to pieces, dying one by one. She wanted, privately, to just run; to run and run, and keep running, just to keep them safe, because she knew somehow they were all dying because of her. Aokiji's recent encounter with them only made that foreboding feeling that much stronger.

But she couldn't abandon them. Not yet, not with so much at stake. They were dying here, but she forced herself to remember that _this was a game, _sick and twisted though it was. She had to help them win here, even if it meant their own death, because only then would they all survive to leave this horrible astral world—and its island origin—behind. So she used every scrap of willpower she had within her to keep her face and voice calm, to not betray her panic and her fear, to help the remaining Strawhats as best as she could.

Moving quickly, Robin quietly sprouted a few arms and gently removed the backpack from Doctor-san's shoulders. It felt disgustingly as though she was plundering the dead, disrespecting their doctor's corpse, but there was little else they could do. They had stored much of their food supply with Doctor-san, and he had carried most of their medical supplies, what little they had, as well. It was too valuable a thing to leave behind.

Captain-san watched her, shoulders still heaving as he sobbed shamelessly. When she had finished, she quietly lifted the tiny body and held it out, respectfully, to their captain.

"There isn't much we can do for him," she said quietly. "Not now; it's too late. And we don't have much time if we are to win. But you have the right to do what you can."

Captain-san nodded, seemed to understand. He wiped his eyes dry with the fringe of his vest (his arms were still bloody) and then gently, almost reverently, lifted the dead reindeer in his arms.

They had no time to bury him, and Captain-san seemed to feel the press of the hours as much as the rest of them, understood the urgency. So he instead laid Doctor-san at the base of one of the untouched crystal trees, in the cool shade cast by the nearly-set invisible light source, and arranged his body as comfortably as possible. The bolt in Doctor-san's head he removed with surprising care considering his usual overpowered handling of the world around him, though he did chuck the offending object as far into the crystal woods as he could possibly manage.

When he was done, he turned to the body. Doctor-san's eyes were now closed, and he looked almost as if he were sleeping, if not for the bloody hole in his head. Captain-san looked down at the reindeer, eyes now devoid of tears. And then, with a mix of his familiar determination and new, deadly seriousness, he said softly, "We'll get you back, Chopper. That's a promise."

* * *

**Random Fact:** The 'navigator' position is the first one to be wiped out on both sides.

Have you guys picked up on the Scorpions' strategy yet? If not, it'll be explained next chapter.

As far as Sanji's shock over Zoro's killing stroke goes, I think it's well founded. Zoro and Robin strike me as the only members of the crew who _have _killed and are mentally prepared to do it again. You'll notice no enemy ever dies in this series, but I think those two only pull their punches now because Luffy demands it. I mean...you definitely have to focus to keep a sword from killing somebody, especially after unleashing all the potentially lethal attacks Zoro does on a regular basis.

As always, if you choose to review, kindly leave a review with substance! I do so love feedback. :)

~VelkynKarma


	7. Even

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part seven of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Note:** So howsabout that 592, eh? _Mihawk!_ Of course, that totally makes the other OP writing idea I had obsolete, but...oh well.

**Music Box:** It's that time again! This time you have two choices (I recommend both). The first is _The Very, Very, Very Strongest_ from the _One Piece_ soundtrack. The second is _MirageCoordinator_ from the _Umineko_ BGM. As before, let me know if you play either!

* * *

"I know that you need to get even

And I know it's for all the right reasons

And I, well I know that your staring at the edge

And I, well I know that you need to get even."

~_Left Out, _Shinedown

* * *

The crew allowed themselves a short but suitable amount of time to pay their last respects. It wasn't as though Chopper was...was _really_ dead, Usopp reminded himself. But it felt as though he was so far away now that they couldn't reach him, would never see him again.

It was frightening.

But worse still was not having a plan, so after enough time had passed that it didn't feel disrespectful, Usopp ventured tentatively, "What now?"

"Now we find that crap-Scorpion and beat his face in," Sanji scowled. Zoro nodded vehemently in agreement, something that was strange enough to Usopp out in and of itself. The two rarely started agreeing unless the situation was incredibly serious. And while it was good to see them calling a truce of sorts for this stupid, cruel game, the sniper wished it hadn't had to go as far as it did to get them to this point.

"I believe I can help with finding them," Robin spoke up slowly, thoughtfully. At the eager, vicious looks from the three major combatants, she added, "When their cook fled, I went with him," and pointed at one of her own eyes.

"Well, hurry it up and tell us then!" Zoro said sharply, when no more information was forthcoming.

"Don't yell at Robin-chan like that!" Sanji immediately growled back. "She'll tell us when she's good and ready!"

_Well, so much for a truce,_ Usopp thought.

"Where is he, Robin?" Luffy asked. His voice was low, serious, but his expression was one of anger. "I'm not letting them treat my nakama like this!"

"I agree," Robin answered, "And I will reveal that information shortly. But I think it would be in our best interest to treat our wounded first." She looked at Luffy's torn hands and arms briefly, then shifted her gaze to the bite in Zoro's leg.

"I'm fine," Zoro answered shortly. "Let's move, before they get away."

"No," Robin said firmly. "I can still see them. I swear to you that I will not lose either of them. But you must understand...I do not wish to lose any more of us to misfortune." Her voice wavered slightly, and Usopp frowned; she seemed more affected than she was trying to let on.

"Come on—"

"Stop arguing with Robin-chan, marimo! And she's looking out for you, too, you ungrateful—"

"We'll do it," Luffy said shortly. "You're right, I don't want anybody else to get hurt because of something like that."

"Thank you, Luffy," Robin said. The captain fidgeted, and Usopp could see he was clearly impatient to get back to battle, to rescue Nami and Chopper. But the fact that he was willing to listen to common sense like this showed just how deadly serious he was being about the whole game.

Robin was now carefully, almost respectfully, opening up Chopper's backpack. She shifted around inside, and then pulled free a roll of bandages. These she tossed to Sanji, saying, "Cook-san, if you could help Captain-san? And Longnose-kun, if you would help me with Swordsman-san...I'll take care of his other wounds if you focus on that leg injury, please."

She tossed another roll of bandages to Usopp, who caught them quickly. Zoro looked about to protest again, but the decision was taken from him when a pair of hands sprouted from the ground and gently punched him behind each knee. Already off balance from favoring one leg, his knees buckled and Zoro collapsed into an undignified heap on the ground. He swore loudly.

Usopp did his best to deal with the leg injury, though he had yet to see anything like it. He assumed, based on the marks and the missing strips of flesh, that the strange shark-like Tazan had actually managed to bite him, though he hadn't seen it happen. It was still bleeding heavily, probably because Zoro had been using his leg too much, but the bandages seemed to help once he had bound them on. They would have to check it periodically, especially without a doctor to treat it correctly (Usopp flinched at the thought), but he figured it would be fine for the duration of the challenge at least.

When he had finished (and ignored Zoro's string of muttered curses under his breath), Usopp sat back and observed his handiwork. It would do. A few arms were sprouting from various places, both in the ground and on Zoro's body itself, to deal with the many thin but deep stab wounds that covered his body. Some were extracting strange needle-like objects while others bound the wounds up carefully with clean bandages.

Usopp watched the whole procedure curiously, and couldn't help but chuckle even now at Zoro's sullen look. Then something caught his eye, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" Zoro said, scowling.

"It...it's just..." Usopp couldn't help but keep staring. Robin looked over curiously, and even Luffy and Sanji, finishing up their own bandaging, raised their heads to see what the fuss was about. Finally, unable to put it to words, Usopp stuttered, "Z-zoro...your...ah..." and lifted his hands towards his own left ear.

Blinking in confusion, Zoro raised his own hand (ignoring the others attached to it) and imitated Usopp's movement. Hand met flesh, and the swordsman's eyes widened in sudden surprise.

For as long as Usopp could remember, Zoro had always had three gold earrings dangling from his left ear. They had survived all manner of dangerous attacks and near-death experiences, and while they were a minor thing Usopp couldn't possibly imagine Zoro without them. But now they were gone, just _gone_, all three of them. The edge of Zoro's ear was a torn, ragged mess where two of the hoops had been simply ripped free. The third, uppermost hoop was still in place, but the teardrop-shaped gold attachment had been cleanly severed and was nowhere to be found. Their absence was disconcerting, made Zoro look oddly off-balance, strangely _normal._

"That son of a bitch," Zoro snarled, now fingering the final hoop and the break where the attachment had been lost. "He must've bitten'em off when he went for my head like that."

In any other situation, Usopp was sure the entire crew would have burst into laughter at the sight of it. Zoro _did_ look rather silly without them, less pirate-y and more like a funny-haired teenager with a few swords. But nobody was laughing now, not even Sanji, who finished tying off his last bandage with narrowed eyes.

Usopp supposed it made sense, in a way. Those earrings had survived anything, just like Zoro had. The fact that they were lost now felt a little...well...foreboding, like maybe not even Zoro would make it all the way through this game.

Usopp shuddered.

"Almost done, Swordsman-san," Robin spoke up after a moment. "This is the best we can do for now." Zoro nodded impatiently. Luffy flopped down next to him, flexing his newly-bandaged arms and fingers experimentally, and seemed satisfied when he still had his full range of movement. Sanji, finished with his part of the work, leaned back against one of the crystal trees, drew out a cigarette, frowned at the contents (or lack thereof) in the box, and then lit up.

Usopp was now watching Robin. There was something thoughtful in her expression, and after a moment's hesitation the sniper asked slowly, "Is something wrong?"

"Hmm?" Robin blinked at him, and then shook her head as Luffy's and Sanji's concerned expressions reached her as well. "No, no...not _wrong_ per se...I was just thinking about the Scorpion Hunters' form of attack."

"What's to think about?" Luffy said hotly. "They're hurting my nakama. That's unforgivable!"

"I agree," Robin said, "But it seems there is a method to their attack. They appear to be following a pattern of sorts."

"A pattern?"

"Yes." She tied off the last of Zoro's bandages, nodded to him, withdrew her arms, and continued. "In our first battle, they specifically targeted Navigator-san. But they had us all in the open, and unaware. They could have killed any of us. And just now...Captain-san, Swordsman-san and Cook-san were all out in the open, but they waited until Doctor-san appeared before shooting, almost as though trying to separate him from stronger fighters before attacking."

Looking around at each of them, she said, "It seems as though they have played this sort of game before. They aren't afraid to split up, and they are carefully picking their targets. Their entire approach to this challenge so far has been very systematic. Furthermore, they are targeting the support-based members of our crew first. Navigator-san would have proved invaluable for keeping an eye on our playing terrain and making predictions and plans. And without Doctor-san the chances that our team will be able to recover in combat have dropped considerably."

She took deep breath, and finished, "It is my guess that the next target will likely be Cook-san."

"Eh? _Me,_ Robin-chan?" Sanji looked bewildered.

"Yes, Cook-san," Robin said grimly. "Not only are you a valuable combatant, but you are the only one left among us with an occupation vital to the crew's health. You have been verifying what is safe and not safe to eat and drink, you prepare the meals, and some kitchen-remedies can even be used to bolster or heal an ally when in great need. Is that not so?"

"It's true," Sanji admitted. "There are some herbs I use that Chopper used to borrow, so I know how to use them for doctoring purposes. And some foods can be used to hold off or kill illness, too. But it's not like I have any of those things here."

"But our enemies don't know that," Robin concluded. "All they know is that you stated you were the cook in the ceremony's introduction. The captain, swordsman, sniper and researcher are equally dangerous in their eyes, but the rest of us will be easier to kill when we are starving, sick and injured."

Usopp shuddered at the directness of that. Robin always _did_ have a way with words.

"Alright," Sanji said. "You're as intelligent as always, Robin-chan! I'll be sure to be careful."

"Perhaps it would be best if you avoided combat entirely?"

Sanji's cheerful demeanor dropped instantly. Though he was still polite to Robin, and did not direct his dark gaze at her, he looked fiercely determined nonetheless. "No," he said, firmly. "I'll be careful, and I'll accept that I could very well be the next target. Hell, I could even die, I won't deny it. But I refuse to run and hide when the rest of my nakama need my help." He attempted a grin, and though it was weak, at least it was there. "Besides, what kind of man would I be if I didn't try my hardest to rescue Nami-san?"

"Nothing will happen if we don't get moving," Zoro said shortly. He was still fingering his ear absently, almost as if he didn't even realize he was doing it. "We're bandaged. That was the deal. Where are they?"

"Don't talk to Robin-chan like that, you stupid—"

"That was the deal," Robin agreed. Standing up, she carefully slung Chopper's backpack over her slender shoulders, then pointed slightly to the right of the path Tazan had taken to run. "They are that way. Not too far, and they're stopping to bandage themselves even as we speak. I can't quite see, but I think Eagle-Eye is with Tazan. They haven't rejoined with the rest of the Scorpion Hunters yet, so this would be the ideal time to finish our attack."

"Right!" Four other voices chorused in unison.

They moved quickly, all five of them together, through the crystal forest. In some places the trees were open, allowing them to run at a decent speed through their depths towards their targets. Sanji took the lead then; he refused to allow Robin to take point, dangerous as the job was, and Luffy and Zoro would get them lost instantly. In other places the forest was was densely packed. During these times Zoro proved adept at slicing the crystal trees and bushes so finely that they didn't even shatter, which kept noise of their passage to a minimum.

This was good for Zoro too, Usopp thought privately, because the swordsman was limping somewhat when they ran, and taking point to cut their way through allowed him to catch up. His leg was probably affecting him more than he wanted to let on. Sanji seemed to recognize it too, because he taunted Zoro viciously whenever the swordsman started lagging too far behind. _Marimo, curly brow, don't get lost_, and _mind your own business_ flew back and forth with hissed breaths as the two tried to keep relatively quiet. Usopp could tell a lie when he saw one, though. Sanji's usual malicious rivalry seemed absent from the insults, and Zoro responded almost mechanically, as though doing it from memory. Strange as it was, Usopp was willing to guess Sanji was trying to be encouraging, while not appearing encouraging. Robin seemed to think the same, because she giggled quietly behind one hand when the two weren't looking.

Half an hour later, the archeologist held up her hand for a halt, and warned them in whispered tones that they were very close. It was dark now, the last wisps of pale green light faded to a much darker color, though Usopp could see a quarter-moon shining red through the crystalline leaves of the strange astral-trees. It gave them just enough light to see by, though he personally would have picked a less ominous color, one that didn't quite make his friends look as though they were bathed in blood.

"They are through the clearing just ahead," Robin whispered to them. "I can't see Eagle-Eye. Be prepared, he could be hiding just in case." The others nodded, and Usopp nervously drew his goggles down over his eyes. Eagle-Eye was _his_ opposite after all, and he might be needed to help fight him, even if everything in his heart and soul screamed not to enter that clearing.

_"Let's go!"_ Luffy ordered, and with a roar to shake the heavens the Strawhat Pirates burst into the opening in the trees, swords, powers and slingshot at the ready.

Tazan was the only one immediately visible. He looked panicked, but not surprised, and Usopp realized Robin had predicted correctly; they knew they were being chased. That meant Eagle-Eye would have gone to position himself immediately for a good sniping session, which meant...

Heart pounding, Usopp's gaze swept the clearing quickly. He had to move fast. If he didn't figure out where Eagle-Eye had run to, then another of his nakama was going to die to the man's excellent sniping abilities. And if Robin's guess was correct, it would be Sanji, a member they really couldn't afford to lose at this juncture.

But luck was on their side. Tazan wasn't the only panicked member of the Scorpion Hunters. The crystalline bushes on the far side of the clearing had been broken unnaturally, as though someone had beat a hasty retreat through them. There weren't any other trails other than the one they had followed, which meant...

"He's there!" Usopp yelled quickly, pointing.

A sharp click came from the direction Usopp pointed to, and moments later a long crossbow bolt came razoring outward from the gloom. Usopp yelped and staggered backward, startled despite himself by the shot.

Others responded more quickly, however. Robin heard Usopp's warning and reacted as the bolt was fired. Just as she had predicted, it was arrowing straight for Sanji's throat, and yet the cook hadn't even noticed—his gaze, livid, was on Tazan. But forewarned, Robin could counter. She wasn't next to Sanji, but Usopp noticed her crossing her arms with remarkable speed, and the next second three arms sprouted from Luffy's shoulder. Luffy seemed surprised, but before he could even shift to take a better look Robin's extra arms stretched out and shoved Sanji with all their power, knocking the cook straight into Zoro at the far end.

There was swearing as the swordsman tried to throw Sanji off, and a gasp from Robin as the crossbow bolt slashed into one of her extra arms. She dispelled them immediately, though the superficial graze appeared on her own natural arm.

Usopp trembled. That had been too close! If it hadn't been for Robin, Sanji would have been dead, and another nakama would have been lost to them.

"Longnose-kun! Quickly!" Robin gasped. "Before he has another chance!"

"Aah...right!" Recovering himself, Usopp hastily withdrew one of his stars and selected his target. In the dark it would be harder to fire, but there was enough light from that red moon, and now that he knew the effects...

_"Exploding star!"_

Another of the crystal trees exploded, sending glass-shards flying like shrapnel. This time Usopp had aimed for the trees next to his estimated position for the enemy sniper. The damage would force the man out into the open instead of allowing him to flee, and then his nakama would have an easier time with him. His crossbow would take longer to load and fire, especially when he was under attack himself and lacked the shelter of the trees.

Sanji, meanwhile, had managed to disentangle himself from Zoro. Both were still growling at each other, probably irritated for real, not that Usopp could entirely blame them.

"Stupid marimo, watch where you're—ah! Robin-chan!" As though they weren't in combat, as though they weren't in the middle of this stupid game of death, Sanji preened before their archeologist. "Thank you so much for saving your humble Sanji! I'll make it up to you, I swear."

"It was no trouble, Cook-san," Robin said, still gasping slightly.

"Robin-chan, you're hurt!"

"It's nothing, Cook-san. Please, remember why we are here. There are still opponents to face."

"Yes, of course!" Turning on his heel, visible eye suddenly narrowed in hatred, Sanji focused on the wide-eyed Tazan in the middle of the clearing. The shark-like cook obviously had expected at least one more of the Strawhats to perish before combat was forced, and didn't look confident at all now with three hungry gazes focused on him.

"It's time to make him pay," Luffy growled, resting one hand on his other bicep as he often did when his rubber limb snapped back.

"No one disrespects my nakama, _especially_ Nami-san, and gets away with it," Sanji agreed, eyes narrowed. Zoro said nothing, merely clamped his white katana in his teeth and brought the other two to bear. And then all at once, the three launched forward, intense with battle.

Usopp stepped back quickly, did his best to keep his eyes on both the battles unfolding. He was fairly certain that Luffy, Zoro and Sanji could take care of Tazan, but there was another man to contend with as well. Usopp kept half an eye on their battle, but mostly focused on the smoke just beginning to drift away after his explosion, loading another star nervously into his slingshot.

Eagle-eye burst free from the smoke suddenly, firing a quarrel at random to try and defend himself. He had a fairly good sense of direction, Usopp admitted, but the bolt was still a good foot wide of Robin, whom he had targeted next. Panicking, the man dived into a roll, already sliding a new bolt free from the quiver at his hip. He no longer looked as well-groomed as he had when they first met him, back in the real world. His clothing was singed, his entire left side was bandaged heavily, and his confident smirk was gone, to be replaced by a clear edge of fear.

Robin didn't give him another chance to fire. _"Tres Fleur,"_ she said, crossing her arms before her chest, and three arms instantly sprouted from Eagle-Eye's person. One erupted from his side, snatched the quarrel from his hands, and threw it before vanishing quickly in a swirl of petals. The other two sprouted from the enemy sniper's shoulders, gripping him by the back of the head and the chin. Eagle-Eye's eyes widened in terror, and he tried to scream, but it was too late. _"Clutch," _she finished, and with a sharp _snap_ her extra arms twisted. Eagle-Eye's head was suddenly at an unnatural angle it never should have been capable of, and the man collapsed to the ground in another swirl of petals.

"The score is now even," Robin said, voice slightly shaky.

Usopp shuddered and edged away from her despite himself. He knew Robin could be scary—she _had_ told them she specialized in assassination when she first joined them, after all—but it was still pretty terrifying to watch. He only hoped he could have that kind of resolve if he needed to, later in this game. Still gulping, he turned his full attention back to the fight with Tazan.

Luffy had just fired a _Gomu Gomu no Pistol_ at the enemy cook, face a mask of rage. Tazan dodged, barely, and brought his teeth to bear in what Usopp was sure was pure panicked reaction. His vise-like jaws fastened around Luffy's wrist, digging deeply and staining the clean white bandages a new shade of red.

Luffy grunted in pain, but was not deterred in the slightest. Instead he dug in his feet for better balance, locked his arm as best as he could while it was stretched, and dug the fingers of his caught arm into Tazan's hair. The enemy cook's eyes widened as he realized that if he let go, he would be dragged straight back to his opponent.

The man lifted his hands to try and dislodge Luffy's fingers, but right about then Sanji had reached them. He launched a vicious downward kick at the man's head, at the same time that Tazan managed to rip Luffy's hand from his hair.

The shark-like cook spat Luffy's arm free, which snapped back to its owner, and spun quickly. The momentum managed to dampen the power of Sanji's attack, as well as throw off his aim, and the enemy cook took a painful but only glancing blow to his shoulder instead of having his head split open.

Sanji wavered, off balance when his deadly kick was deflected, and Tazan chose at that moment to go on the offensive. Usopp panicked, tried to yell a warning or bring his slingshot up to aim, but it was as though his shaking limbs wouldn't listen to him. Baring teeth, no longer in that disgusting grin but now with a determined grimace, Tazan brought his right fist around in a powerful hook. That alone would have been damaging, but the fact that his fist was still encased in his strong steel gauntlets made the blow lethal.

But everyone—including Usopp, he was ashamed to admit—had forgotten about the third combatant. As Sanji attempted unsuccessfully to twist out of the way in midair and the metal-encased fist came closer, the Strawhat cook was bodily flung aside. He hit the dirt with a loud _thud_ that Usopp could hear even from this distance, and then there was a ringing clang of metal on metal. And there was Zoro, feet planted firmly, all three of his beloved katana crossed in a defensive stance as he negated Tazan's rushed assault.

Usopp half expected a furious _marimo_ comment, but it seemed the two were too focused on their battle. There was a point, the sniper had found, when both Zoro and Sanji had had enough, that they started working together with utmost deadly precision. They appeared to have hit that point now, which was fortunate. Tazan's gauntlets would have shattered Sanji's skull, but Zoro's swords could withstand the attacks.

Sanji had flipped himself to his feet now quickly and was coming back for another assault. Tazan seemed stunned at the speed with which Zoro had deflected and Sanji had recovered. He backpedaled, probably hoping to run, Usopp thought. Which was why he was totally unprepared when a joint sword strike and roundhouse kick smashed into his body, sending him flying with more blood spurting than Usopp would have thought possible to come from any human (except perhaps Zoro).

And yet Tazan wasn't finished; his wide, terrified, confused eyes, glancing around wildly, were proof enough of that. He didn't know why he wasn't dead yet, either, why the swordsman and cook had chosen to spare him, restrained their strength. Especially when he _knew_ firsthand that Zoro was capable of killing.

The answer came in the form of a rubber first, ramming into his side when he was flung away from the two other fighters. Now that the enemy was clear of his nakama, Luffy was free to unload his full strength and his full rage upon the enemy cook, and he did so without hesitation. Tazan plowed into the ground courtesy of the rubber punch, and then Luffy was on him, firing his _Gomu Gomu no Gatling_ over and over without mercy.

It went on forever. Usopp had seen Luffy's fury in battle, but this was almost something else entirely, like an enraged, rabid beast had possessed their captain. It was unlike anything he had ever seen—but then, the sniper thought, he had never seen one of their crew mates d..._die_ before either. Even when they were in trouble, even when some of them came close to the edge of life and had to be repeatedly rescued from it, Luffy had always kept his good humor. Sure, he would be angry if anyone messed with his nakama, and he would beat anybody who hurt or threatened them to a bloody pulp in minutes, but he always showed some sort of restraint even then. Luffy never killed any of their opponents, no matter how horrible they had been. Kuro, Arlong, Crocodile, Enel...they were all still alive; deprived of their dreams, yes, but still living.

But this was different. His crew was dying around him, and he had been unable to stop it. He would do anything to protect them, anything to save the ones they had already lost now that he knew it was possible, and he knew what had to be done. He was furious that these men had gone so far as to k..._kill_ Nami and Chopper, but he knew what had to be done to get them back, and he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

So he pounded away for one, two, three minutes, howling in frustration, in anger, in shame, and Usopp could feel it even as far way as he was in the vibrations in the ground. The others waited silently, not interfering, though Usopp doubted that Luffy would hear him even if he did try (and personally he'd be terrified to approach his captain in that state anyway). And when he was done, there was no questioning the state of that bloodied, broken corpse. Tazan was definitely dead, putting them in the lead in this grisly game.

Usopp breathed a shaky, tired sigh of relief and thudded unceremoniously to his butt on the ground. His limbs were still shuddering, even though they had come out victorious in this round. It was a win, but it didn't feel like a win, not with two of their nakama dead and four more enemies out there that still needed to be found and killed.

The others apparently shared similar feelings. Luffy looked a little more satisfied now that he had personally taken down one of the men responsible for his nakama's pain, but he still showed no signs of reverting back into his usual happy-go-lucky, naive personality. Zoro had already sheathed his swords, but his usual scowl was laced with a disgusted edge. Well, despite how intimidating he could be, and despite being a pirate, Zoro always _did_ have an honor code when it came to battle; it was unsurprising that he would find his enemy's cowardly tactics unfulfilling. And Sanji was fidgeting after the battle, a rarity for him. Usually he was all suave, ready to deliver a casual comment in the hopes of impressing Nami or Robin, but now he just looked tired, and a little angry. He wasn't even smoking, though he was fingering the King Ground pack in his hands as though he desperately wanted one. He was probably running low, Usopp thought.

He seemed to have just made up his mind, and was flipping the pack open to take one of the cigarettes out, when he turned back towards Usopp...and froze. Then he had dropped it, dropped is precious cigarettes into the lavender dirt as he darted forward, eye wide with worry, and yelled, _"Robin-chan!"_

Surprised, Usopp turned his head in the archeologist's reaction, and stared. Robin was no longer calmly standing next to him. Instead, she was on her hands and knees, face so close to the dirt her nose was brushing it. One hand was pressed to her chest, and as Usopp watched she spasmed slightly, letting out a soft gasp that was nearly inaudible.

"Robin!" Usopp staggered to his feet just as Sanji reached her. With surprising gentleness, the cook lifted her weight, helped her lay down on her side, carefully supported her head. Her breathing seemed to come slightly easier now, but she was still gasping for breath, still had one fist pressed against her chest as though it had been magnetized there.

"Robin-chan, what's wrong?" Sanji asked, looking panicked. He rested her head one one of his legs now, carefully as he could, and freed up both hands to try and search for some sort of dangerous wound. Usopp crashed down onto his own knees next to them and tried to help, but he saw no crossbow bolts or anything of the sort protruding from her body, nor could he find any fatal wounds bleeding out on her person.

Luffy and Zoro had arrived by now, looking equally concerned. Luffy had Sanji's cigarette pack in one hand, the one not bleeding—even he was intelligent enough to know Sanji would kill him himself if he got blood on those cigarettes—and he was frowning. Zoro said nothing, merely stared down at the convulsing archeologist with a scowl on his face.

"You got shot," Zoro said suddenly, his voice impassive.

Robin was still gasping, but she managed to nod, her cool eyes looking up at the swordsman. Usopp didn't like that look; it was like they were sharing understanding, and none of it good.

"It's just a scratch," Sanji said, having noticed the small cut on the arm that wasn't pressed to Robin's chest. "Even Robin-chan's had worse than that, I don't see how—"

"The bolts are poisoned," Zoro interrupted. His voice was still emotionless, but there was a grimness to his tone that Usopp didn't like. It was too..._final._

But then the sniper remembered the discovery they had made that morning—had it really only been that _morning?_—when Zoro had handed him the bolt to examine, and Chopper had smelled the poison. All of Eagle-Eye's quarrels were apparently coated in the same stuff, and that meant even if the cut itself wasn't fatal, the wound would be.

"It s-seems s-so," Robin managed to gasp, barely. She had gotten enough control over her breathing to talk, but it was obviously paining her. The poor woman had tears in her eyes, and the fact that her calm persona could be broken like this was scary. Usopp didn't know what could break Nico Robin, but apparently whatever was on that quarrel was certainly capable.

"M-my ap-pologies, C...capt-tain-s-san," she added, after trying her hardest to take a deep breath, and failing miserably. "I h-have unint...tentional-ly e-evened the sc..score again..."

"No!" Sanji bent over her protectively, trying to sound reassuring, but Usopp wasn't sure if it was supposed to be for himself or for her. "It's not your fault, Robin-chan, it couldn't possibly be your fault. You'll be fine, so there's nothing to blame anyone for!"

"Sanji..." Usopp held up a hand, but the cook shot him a furious glare and turned his attention back to Robin.

"There's _nothing_ to feel sorry over, Robin-chan," he insisted, and now Usopp was _sure_ he was trying to lie to himself. "It's only a scratch, it's hardly even worth bandaging—oh, but of course I'll bandage it for you, Robin-chan—but it's only a scratch, you only pushed me out of the way, it's not worth..._leaving_ over, not for that—"

"Sanji!"

To Usopp's surprise this wasn't Luffy, who was still watching quietly, an oddly solemn look on his face, but Zoro. It was shocking enough that he was actually using the cook's name. But even more so was that he was using the same tone of voice they had all come to equate as his 'first mate' voice; when he used in that powerful, commanding tone, always speaking for his captain.

As if reacting to it, Sanji looked up, met the swordsman's eyes. There was anger in the cook's expression: not the kind that said he was looking for a fight, but the kind that said he didn't want to hear what Zoro had to say, because he didn't want to accept it.

Zoro noticed, but in true Zoro fashion, he ignored it. Instead, still in that cold, commanding, final tone, he said flatly, "Enough. Knock it off."

Sanji seemed to deflate, looked down on Robin with a helpless expression. He immediately moved to rub her back when her breath shifted to rapid, shallow pants, as though she couldn't get enough air. And almost too low for them to hear, he said softly, "You shouldn't have pushed me, Robin-chan...you shouldn't be here because of _me_..."

Robin rolled her eyes back to look at him as best as she could. Her entire body was starting to seize up now, and clearly her breathing still pained her, but she struggled valiantly and managed to gasp out, "S'fine, C-cook-s-san...rem-member, y-ou are all th-that's l-left to...look a...after our nak...naka..." She couldn't finish the word, instead breaking into another shallow breathing spasm instead. Sanji moved to rub her back again, though it didn't seem to help much.

"N-neuro-t-toxin," she managed to gasp after a moment or two, by way of explanation. "Pa...para...pa..."

"Paralyzes," Usopp said for her instead, pitying how hard the word was for her, their articulate Robin. She convulsed slightly, and managed to nod.

Well, that explained it, Usopp thought, as he wiped his eyes again (they had been running so much today he was stunned he still had tears left). If it was a paralyzing toxin, it was probably paralyzing her lungs, too. No wonder she couldn't breathe. And there wouldn't be a way to counter it, the way it was moving so fast, not without an antitoxin or a doctor. The image of Chopper lying still and cold at the base of the crystal tree they had left behind came to mind, but he shook his head and chased it away quickly.

Robin was getting worse, now; her convulsions came more and more frequently, and her breathing was too short to try talking anymore, not that she could have formed the words. Sanji held her, tried to make her as comfortable as possible, but was obviously having little success.

Zoro had turned the other way now, hands on his swords once more, taking up his guard position. There was nothing really to be said between himself and Robin. She was as good as dead, and he had to look to the living. She probably didn't grudge him that, if Usopp had any guess. She probably approved, even.

And Luffy...Luffy was bending down now, quietly, at eye level. His eyes were watery too, but when he spoke it was with solemn promise, and he looked her straight in the eye when he did it.

"I forgive you, Robin. You did a good job. You protected Sanji, so Sanji can help us get everyone else back. And he can take care of us like you said. And you got one of those guys, so you helped get our nakama back, too."

She was fading, Usopp could tell now. There was an ugly tinge to her face that wasn't there before. He wondered what it would be like, to suffocate while you were still above water. It had to be terrifying, even with your friends around you. But when Luffy spoke, she managed to dazedly fight through her twitching body and nod, accepting his praise.

Then he spoke to her one final time. "We'll get you back, Robin. Promise."

She somehow managed to nod again, smile even, despite the obvious pain she was in. And she fought to keep it, even in her final moments, despite her constant convulsing, despite her inability to breathe at all. She was still smiling when she died, held tenderly in the arms of a guilt-ridden Sanji, with the nakama she secretly cared so much for all around her.

It was only when she was gone that Luffy finally looked away.

* * *

No matter what dangerous stunt he pulls, Zoro's earrings will always survive his battles, despite the softness of gold and the weakness of the human ear. The same goes for Luffy's and Chopper's hats, Sanji's cigarettes, Nami's Log Pose, and Usopp's goggle things.

_King Ground_ is the brand of cigarettes Sanji smokes, according to the One Piece wiki.

Robin's symptoms are actually based in research. Scorpions tend to use neurotoxins more than any other. I did some research on natural critter neurotoxins and asphyxia due to paralyzed respiratory muscles was a pretty common result. Sorry, Robin...at least it's accurate. I know you'd appreciate that.

You know the drill by now. If you review, please give it some substance, I love reviews with substance :D

~VelkynKarma


	8. Agreements

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part eight of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Note:** I'm absolutely blown away, guys. This story has over 1,000 hits now, and last chapter was only the halfway point! Thanks for all the support and I hope I continue to give you a good story!

* * *

"Conventional wisdom says to know your limits. To know your limits you need to find them first. Finding your limits generally involves getting in over your head and hoping you live long enough to benefit from the experience. That's the fun part."

* * *

They hid Robin's body as best they could in the crystal bushes. After Tazan's taunt about Nami, Sanji had absolutely insisted on it, once he finally stopped sobbing over the body. The stupid cook was being too sentimental over the whole thing—she wasn't really dead, after all, not as long as they could still win. But Zoro knew better than to sling a love-cook joke his way now. He waited patiently until Sanji and the others were satisfied, keeping one hand on his swords and both eyes on their surroundings.

When Robin was taken care of as best as they could and goodbyes had been said, they ran. They seemed to come to a unanimous, unspoken agreement that no one wanted to stay in this crystalline forest any further, not after all the suffering it had caused. So when Usopp tentatively suggested heading towards the pink ocean they had seen earlier, no one argued. Curly-brow insisted on leading the way 'so we don't get lost,' which was fine with Zoro. At this juncture he preferred to stay at the back and guard, anyway.

It was fully dark now. Zoro guessed they were at least an hour or two past sunset, though he had yet to actually see a sun here. There had been a reddish moon earlier, but it was currently blocked by a number of thick clouds that he thought might be the same green color the sky had been that morning. It made their travel difficult, and much louder, as they stumbled over odd glass ferns and thick crystal-vein roots. Zoro's bitten leg was beginning to throb, but he ignored it and kept pushing forward.

They reached the edge of the strange astral forest just as the sky opened up and the first fat orange drops began pattering down on their heads. The sky rumbled threateningly, and Usopp had actually opened his mouth to ask why Nami hadn't warned them of the approaching thunderstorm before his eyes widened in surprise and he slapped his hand over his mouth. Sanji gave him a dirty look. Luffy merely told him that she wasn't here right now, she was Somewhere Else, and that was why. They'd have her back soon enough to predict weather for them again. Zoro said nothing.

The rain worsened quickly, turning the lavender dirt to mud beneath their feet, making walking more treacherous. This was the kind of thing that started flash floods back in his days on land, Zoro remembered, which meant it was probably not a good idea for them all to stay out for too much longer. And he supposed the red forks of lighting off in the distance, while definitely not as deadly looking as some of Enel's strikes, would still be dangerous all the same. There was no way in hell Zoro was going to let himself die from _electrocution_ or _drowning_ in this game, so he kept half an eye out for some sort of shelter while they traveled.

The others were as well, and after another twenty minutes of walking, with each of them soaked to the bone, Usopp pointed quickly off to their right. It was hard to see through the darkness, but the lightning illuminated the scenery for a few moments, allowing Zoro to see better. They had been walking near the cliff edges that bordered the ocean, too sheer to climb down. But Usopp had pointed out a gradual slope that curled around the cliffs and led down to the beach and the roaring pink waves. Along the slope, bored into the rock face and still high enough to avoid the tide and the storm-caused angry waves was what appeared to be a cave.

They made their way to it quickly, but no one was taking chances now. Zoro approached with swords drawn, Luffy cracked his knuckles warningly, and even Usopp had a dial in his hand (he wouldn't risk damaging his slingshot with rainwater since he had no way to repair it while here).

But the cave was fortunately empty, and large enough for the four of them with a little space left over, though it had a low ceiling. It kept out the rain, and for the most part the wind as well. They had no materials to make a fire, and none of them would have risked it anyway lest the Scorpion Hunters saw the light, but even protection from the elements was a welcome relief.

When the four of them sat down, they realized rather suddenly how exhausted they were. Zoro remembered that he hadn't taken a single nap all day. They had landed on that stupid island in the morning, and he had decided to take a look around the town, up until Usopp's unexpected trial. And nobody had rested since this game had started.

As if voicing everyone's thoughts, Usopp muttered, "My legs feel like jelly. I don't think we've done this much running around in a long time."

Sanji shrugged noncommittally in response. Zoro merely grunted. Luffy was watching the rain outside, staring with wide eyes at the orange droplets and the odd pink ocean, and for a moment the swordsman thought he was almost back to normal.

Then without warning, Luffy said, "There's only four left."

The other three looked at him quietly. Sanji nodded after a moment. "Yeah. For us and them."

"Who's left on their side?" Usopp asked, frowning slightly as he tried to remember.

Sanji ran a hand through his hair, sighed, and started reciting after a moment. "Their leader, Sasori. Their second in command...I think he said his name was Kawazu. Their doctor, Spinifer or something stupid like that...and they had a tracker too, Moult."

"And we know at the very least that their leader uses poison on all his weapons," Usopp said, voice shaking slightly. He would know; he had been threatened by it after all.

"Doesn't matter. We'll beat them anyway." Zoro yawned loudly, settled himself back against the rough stone of the cave.

Sanji looked disgusted. "How can you sleep at a time like this, marimo?" He growled.

A shrug. " 'M tired."

"Ah! Zoro, wait! Don't go to sleep yet." Usopp scooted closer. "I mean we probably _should_ trade off resting while others keep watch, we can't fight as well if we're tired, but I want to check your leg again."

Zoro grunted in exasperation. "Why is everybody worrying over my stupid leg? It's fine."

"You were falling behind again, you shit swordsman," Sanji scowled. "If _you_ can't keep up, something's wrong."

"Worried about me, curly-brow?" Zoro sneered. "How nice of you."

"I'm not worried, I'm—"

"Guys," Usopp said tiredly. "Can you just...stop? For once? I don't think this is the time." Sanji looked stunned—Zoro certainly felt it—and both of them snapped their mouths shut with the audible click of teeth. Satisfied, Usopp shifted awkwardly over to Zoro's side and began untying the bandage.

There was a pause when he finished. Zoro was just getting ready to drift off again when Usopp said unexpectedly, "Luffy...can I see your arm?"

Well that was interesting. Cracking one eye open, Zoro watched as Luffy placed his bitten arm in Usopp's hands. They had bandaged it quickly when they ran earlier, but Usopp undid the bindings quickly, and frowned at what he saw.

"What is it?" Luffy asked, genuinely curious.

"I...it's just...they're both infected pretty bad." He pointed at Luffy's bite, which was a shiny red around the gouging marks. Zoro's was worse, probably because he had the wound longer; it was not only red, but starting to swell badly.

Zoro shrugged. "I've had worse."

"I _know_ you've had worse," Usopp said, exasperated. "But I don't think this is just from the bite. I wonder...Sanji? Is there a poison people can eat _without_ getting sick?"

"Any poison you eat would make you sick," the cook responded automatically. "Though, there are some plants that you can eat, but can be toxic if you don't prepare them properly..." He frowned, considered. "One of our cooks back on the Baratie, Roberts, chewed one all the time. Built up an immunity to it slowly. Couldn't stop eating the shit after a while." He shook his head in disgust.

Usopp looked back to the wounds, then began digging through Chopper's backpack, which Luffy had taken to carrying after they left Robin behind. "I bet that guy coated his teeth in something," the sniper muttered after a moment, removing a small jar of salve Zoro had seen Chopper use sometimes to treat the more infected wounds. "They all seem to love poison." Using the salve sparingly but carefully, he cleaned and re-bandaged the two bite wounds as best as he could, then stowed the supplies away again.

Sanji had dug out a few more of the odd fruit-nuts they had found that morning while Usopp worked. He cracked them carefully and handed out two for each member of the crew without so much as a word. Their members had been reduced significantly, but they still only had so much of the only food they had found as yet, and their cook was obviously rationing carefully. Even Luffy didn't dare complain, though he looked at his pitiful dinner almost mournfully.

Zoro wolfed his down in a few bites and settled back against the stone again, letting his eyes slip closed. Usopp, taking his own dinner from Sanji after finishing up with the bandages, nodded quietly. "Good idea, you should get some rest while you can. Me'n Sanji will stay up first to keep watch while you and Luffy sleep, since you guys are hurt. We can switch off in a few hours. You okay with that?"

"Fine," Sanji said sharply. Zoro heard some shifting as the sniper and cook scrambled to the front of the cave, and felt Luffy flop down next to him in a rubbery heap, but after that the soothing, familiar darkness of sleep overcame him.

He awoke some time later to a kick in the ribs. It almost didn't wake him at all; this was a more or less gentle nudge, compared to the usual olympic kicks he received after the cook managed to trip over him. He cracked an eye open again and saw Sanji crouching over him (the ceiling wasn't high enough to fully stand).

"Get up, marimo," the cook growled quietly. He looked dead on his feet. While he hadn't taken any injury other than a few tumbles to the ground, there were dark lines under his one visible eye, and he looked ready to collapse. Made sense in a way. They'd been fighting and running all day non-stop, which was bound to take its toll on anybody even if they weren't injured.

Usopp was shaking Luffy awake next to him. The sniper, too, looked exhausted. Frowning, Zoro yawned, rubbed his face, and muttered, "How long?"

"Four hours, near as I can figure," Sanji said. "Time to switch." Zoro didn't argue, instead crawling his way towards the cave's small entrance while trying not to hit somebody in the head with one of his katana sheathes (though on a better day it would've made him laugh if he could have 'accidentally' hit Sanji in his pretty-boy head). Sanji flopped down in his spot behind him, and seconds later Luffy joined Zoro at the entrance, already wide awake.

Zoro took stock of the current situation immediately. It was still raining out, though the thunder and lightning had since disappeared. It was still fairly dark out as well, but Zoro didn't need vision in order to keep watch. Instead he focused his other senses and waited, one hand wrapped around the hilt of his white katana.

Luffy did his best to help, but even in with the seriousness of the situation their captain was bored within ten minutes of lookout duty. He never did well with it back on _Merry_ either, which was why Nami tended to not assign him to that particular duty. And there weren't any games to play or things to do here either, which had him fidgeting soon enough. He had dug through Chopper's bag, and Usopp's as well, just to see if he could find something to do. But Chopper's bag held little more than medical supplies (the rest of the fruit-nuts in his bag had been doled out earlier by Sanji), and Zoro put a halt to exploring Usopp's bag after Luffy pulled an exploding star free and looked ready to entertain himself with that.

To keep him occupied, Zoro decided to engage him in conversation, at least for a little while. There was something he had meant to discuss with their captain, anyway.

"Luffy."

"Eh?" The captain looked up from where he'd been tying his own fingers in knots to alleviate boredom. "What's wrong, Zoro?"

"I've been thinking," the swordsman answered seriously. "When we get to the next fight...I don't know if they'll all be there or not. But if they are, I want to fight Sasori."

Luffy looked puzzled, and answered with a simple, "Captains fight captains." Which was fair enough; it had been like that since they met, or near enough.

"This guy is a swordsman," Zoro countered. Luffy seemed to consider this seriously, so Zoro added, "And like Usopp said, we know he uses poison. All it'll take is one little scratch, just like what happened to Robin. I'm the only one who can fight him." He patted the katana at his side in indication.

Luffy frowned at Robin's name. Zoro hadn't meant to bring up a sore subject, but it was a truth that couldn't be denied. If their opponents were going to use dirty tricks like poison, then the only way to counter it was to not get hit by the blades. Luffy and the love-cook were both strong, but they had no way to block the hits. And while either could probably survive a few sword-strikes in a regular battle, even the tiniest hit here meant death. That meant that only Usopp, who could attack from far away, and himself, with a shield of swords, were suitable for fighting their poison-using opponents. And while he could be useful in a fight, Zoro doubted that Usopp would be able to take down Sasori. That left him.

They were a lot of good points, but Zoro didn't need to say any of them. With just that one sentence, Luffy seemed to understand. Zoro wasn't surprised. Luffy wasn't exactly the brightest member of their crew, but when it came to his nakama and combat, the young man was a genius.

It was dark in the cave, but Zoro could tell Luffy was staring him right in the eye. The captain's voice came through the gloom, but the swordsman could hear it clearly over even the loud pattering of the rain outside. "You'll protect our nakama."

It was a statement, not a question. Zoro responded in kind. "Yeah."

He couldn't be sure, but he thought Luffy nodded. "Okay. You can fight him."

They waited out the rest of the hours quietly, for the most part. Luffy kept talking to Zoro, and while the swordsman wasn't much of a conversationalist he tried his best to keep his captain occupied. It was still so dark he could close his eyes and there wouldn't be much difference, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open anyway. He didn't mind sleeping through _Merry_'s watch, but there usually wasn't much of a threat there either. He had three nakama left here, and he wasn't about to let any of them die without putting up a fight.

He wasn't sure how long they waited, but when the darkness outside started to fade into a lighter, pastel green and the rain started to dribble away into a soft orange mist he figured about four hours. So they had made it through the first night of the game. What had the limit been? Five days? Not like it mattered, they'd finish this long before that.

"We should probably get moving," Zoro muttered quietly across to Luffy, who was staring outside the cave again, trying to find the source of the light with little success.

But Luffy merely shook his head, glanced back at the still sleeping Usopp and Sanji with an almost unreadable expression on his face, and said quietly, "Let'em sleep a little longer."

The swordsman shrugged and didn't question it. Captain's orders were captain's orders. So they stayed longer, watched the orange mist quietly dry up as the heat of the astral world finally wiped it away. It was oddly peaceful, and Zoro supposed in any other sort of situation he might have enjoyed the place. He was even starting to get used to the bizarre colors that had been so annoying yesterday.

But then he froze and sat up straighter, listening carefully, straining with every sense he possessed. Someone was coming. Frowning, he popped the white katana free with his thumb, showing an inch of well-polished steel, and said almost inaudibly to Luffy, "Company. Wake'em up. _Quiet._"

Luffy nodded, eyes narrowing slightly, and stretched his rubber limbs to shake their two sleeping crew members awake. Usopp woke blearily, and seemed confused for a moment or two before he remembered where he was. Then his face melted into an expression of horror as he recognized just what they were in the middle of, and that it hadn't just been a terrible nightmare after all. Sanji woke with a start, one of his legs jerking up several inches as though he planned to attack straight out of a dead sleep. His rest probably hadn't been pleasant, either.

Both cook and sniper met Zoro's eyes as he shifted into a crouch at the mouth of the cave, hands on his swords. He nodded grimly in answer to their unspoken question, gestured towards the upper part of the natural ramp where they had taken shelter. And then, quietly, he slipped his black bandana off his arm and tied it around his head.

That was all the indication they needed. Trembling badly, Usopp retrieved his bag and pulled his slingshot free. And while the love-cook couldn't stand up fully in this small cave, he did a few quick crouching stretches to loosen up his legs after a cramped rest.

"Getting closer," Zoro warned, his voice still low. "I think they're gonna attack all at once. Just get out when I move, worry about attacking after." The other three nodded. Luffy's earlier cheerful and bored demeanor was gone; he looked murderous again. Zoro clamped Wadou down in his mouth and waited.

They didn't wait long. Zoro could hear their enemies approaching, if barely. The Scorpion Hunters moved stealthily, but there were still traces. Usopp was shaking badly, but Zoro could tell he took heart from his three nakama. All four of them were ready to fight.

And then Zoro moved. He could tell the Scorpions were beginning their own attack; not through any obvious signs, but more from the innate combat sense that had always guided him through battle. They began the fight, and Zoro moved to counter, rushing to guard and allow his nakama enough time to break free from the confines of the now very dangerous cave.

His three swords were at the ready, and slashed through several thick boulders as he made his exit from the cave. More were airborne, and he did his best to cut these too or send them off their original course. So the Scorpions had decided to try and force a blocked cave-in by hurling boulders down at them. They were cowardly and indirect as always.

He felt more than saw his three crew mates burst out of the cave behind him. Part one was completed then—no one would die by being crushed at least. He caught Luffy's eye, pointed upward with one sword at the cliff edge that hung not too high above the slope they were on. The captain nodded, snatched the back of Zoro's collar with one hand and shot his other one up to the cliff top, rocketing them up with an elastic burst. For once, Zoro didn't complain.

They broke the rise, overshot it, and Zoro took advantage of his temporary height to survey their opponents. All four were there, staring up at them with bewildered expressions. None had weapons drawn, probably assuming that they would wipe out the Strawhats without actually meeting in combat. Kawazu's tiger-headed hookswords were still strapped across his back—that had been the first mate, if Zoro remembered correctly. The sleepy looking tracker, Moult, was actually expressing some degree of surprise, and the skinny-looking man next to him had to be the doctor, Doku Spinifer.

But it was the man in the center of the group that immediately seized Zoro's attention. He recognized him well; thick muscles, dreadlocks tied back by a rag, and the scimitar and whip at his side were all far too familiar. That was Sasori, the man Zoro was going to kill here and now.

He and Luffy touched down on the cliff's edge just as the men started drawing their weapons. Kawazu, Moult and Spinifer had all moved to form a defensive barrier between the Strawhats and their leader. Zoro growled and was just getting ready to fight his way through each of the three bastards to get to his real goal when Luffy took the choice out of his hands. The rubber man's leg snapped out in a stretchy sweep, moving wide to try and knock the three opposing men off their feet. The Scorpion Hunters dodged, but in the moment of confusion their barrier was lost.

"Take him down, Zoro!" Luffy roared, as his leg snapped back into place. "Captain's orders!"

"You got it," Zoro said around Wadou's hilt, and then he was charging straight at Sasori, blades at the ready, fueled with the overwhelming desire to keep his nakama safe.

* * *

Sanji swore colorfully and creatively when Luffy and Zoro rocketed (almost literally) away from them up the cliffside. While the cook was normally not so fond of Luffy's elastic shots, he _did _know the two were heading to the main battle up there, and he wanted to be a part of it too, dammit!

"Come on," he said sharply to Usopp, and darted up the slope as fast as he could, the sniper hot on his heels. They would have to take the more roundabout way now in order to get to Luffy and the marimo, and who knew how much trouble the two would get themselves into before he could get in there to help.

"Sanji! Look out!"

The cook skidded to a hasty halt and launched himself sideways, towards the cliff walls. Something slammed down where he had been a moment earlier, and he thanked his lucky stars that Usopp at least had been paying attention. He'd been so focused on the battle at the top of the cliffside he hadn't even paid attention to the one coming straight towards him.

Spinning around quickly, Sanji came face to face with Moult, the Scorpion Hunters' tracker. The man stood as limply as ever, and still reminded Sanji of noodles that had been boiled too long in water. As he watched, the man placed a toothpick between his lips and immediately began nibbling on it, watching Sanji with a half-asleep expression.

"Boss doesn't want you up there," he slurred tiredly. "Bad odds."

"Your boss can go to hell," Sanji scowled, and threw a kick at the man's face strong enough to shatter boulders. But much to the cook's surprise, the crap-Scorpion shifted suddenly, moved so quickly it belied his droopy frame, and successfully deflected Sanji's attack with the quick upper jab of one arm.

Sanji moved defensively, coiled his body and flipped backwards to avoid any retaliatory attack. There wasn't any. Moult took a step back himself, still chewing his toothpick thoughtfully, and waited. For that matter, even his deflection hadn't been painful; it just knocked Sanji's foot off-course. The cook frowned. Something about this man wasn't right.

Moving quickly, Sanji launched a series of attacks in rapid-fire succession, using his considerable acrobatic skill and a stunning offense to prevent against enemy attack. But much to his surprise, the crap-Scorpion blocked each and every hit, deflecting them neatly off course and avoiding damage completely while not launching any of his own attacks at all.

Sanji flipped to his feet, breathing hard from the exertion of the wild strikes. Moult watched him patiently, bored, and suddenly the cook understood.

"You're just holding us here," he swore loudly.

"Mmm...sounds right," the tracker answered with a yawn, loosing his toothpick in the process. He sighed, replaced it with a new one, and began chewing again.

"You mean he's not supposed to actually kill us?" Usopp asked in confusion, behind Sanji and a little to the right.

"No," the cook answered grimly. "He's just keeping us from helping Luffy and the marimo. I bet the other three are up there."

Usopp paled. "Then...three on two...a-and if they win—"

"Four on two," Sanji agreed. "Well...probably less. I doubt even the marimo would let himself go down without taking one with him." His eyes narrowed. "But even better if nobody goes down at all. You'd better let us pass."

Moult blinked slowly and then said, "No."

Sanji growled. "Usopp," he hissed, "Let's go at the same time. He can't block the both of us."

"R-right!"

The sniper lead the way with a number of stars, and Sanji followed it up with another series of rapid-fire kicks. Moult was forced nearly into the cliff wall to avoid Usopp's artillery, but blocked Sanji's attacks with easy precision just as before. Then, just when Sanji was getting ready to press his attack further, Moult suddenly withdrew and darted for Usopp, who was trying to run up the slope. He launched out a flying kick of his own; Usopp fell onto his back and just barely avoided the sweep of the leg, felt the air from it inches above his nose. Satisfied that the sniper was no longer moving, Moult retreated two steps up the slope and ground to a halt, drooping once more.

Sanji swore loudly again and trotted forward next to Usopp, ready to defend even though he was fairly sure Moult wouldn't outright attack. The sniper hauled himself to his feet, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace.

"This is bad," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Usopp to hear. "There's gotta be a reason they don't want either of us up there. They've probably set some other stupid trap for Luffy and Zoro."

"I agree...but there's no way we can get past this guy," the sniper answered, frowning. "He blocks anything the both of us do!"

"Not quite," Sanji answered. "I can't get up there, but I think I can get you past this guy. Just be ready to jump at my signal."

"J...jump?"

"Just be ready! And stick near me."

"Okay!" Usopp yelped.

Sanji nodded, turned his attention to Moult. The man was swaying in place, for all the world like he was about to drop off to sleep right where he was standing. If Sanji didn't know better he'd swear the crap-Scorpion would blow over from the slightest wind, but the way Moult watched him carefully said otherwise.

"I'm getting past you whether you like it or not," Sanji challenged.

"No," Moult answered simply.

"Just try me!" And he launched himself forward in a third flurry of attacks. He was going to wear himself out, attacking rapid-fire like this with no gain, but it couldn't be helped. He needed the distraction if his plan was to be put into effect. So he launched kick after kick without hesitation, and watched in frustration as Moult easily sidestepped or deflected each one.

Then he put his plan into motion. Twisting as though planning to launch another roundhouse kick in Moult's direction, he waited until the man began to perform the appropriate deflection—and then pulled himself backwards suddenly in a neat cartwheel. Before he had even fully come to his feet he ordered, "Usopp—jump now!"

The sniper obeyed, and he was fortunately close, leaping towards Sanji as ordered. Sanji waited until Usopp had just barely passed him and swung his leg forward in a powerful kick, yelling loudly, "_Armée de L'Air: Sniping Shot!_"

He made sure to aim high, and the move worked like a charm. Moult blinked in sleepy confusion as Usopp sailed overhead, screeching loudly in surprise. The sniper hit the slope some ways past the tracker, rolled, and scrambled shakily to his feet, looking back over his shoulder down at the cook.

"Go help them!" Sanji said, gesturing up towards the cliff again. When Moult looked ready to turn and chase Usopp, he launched himself at the tracker once more, adding with a yell, "I'll keep this guy busy and catch up after!"

"Don't die!" Usopp shouted back, very seriously, and then he dashed off up the slope and out of sight.

"Same to you," Sanji muttered under his breath, sincerely hoping that he didn't get to the top of the cliff later to find somebody lying broken, beaten and unmoving. Hell, _he_ was supposed to be the next target, the one that Robin predicted. He should be in the thick of the fight, not held down here to be useless!

Well, he refused to be _completely_ useless. He might be stuck down here unable to get past this bastard, but he could at the very least try to figure out what his weakness was and bring him down. This guy had to die at some point to rescue Nami-san and Robin-chan and Chopper, and if it was by his heels so much the better. Luffy and the stupid shit swordsman would just have to hold out on their own for a while, and hopefully Usopp could provide some sort of backup.

"Hrm...you made me mess up," Moult accused in a lazy drawl.

"That's not all I'm gonna mess up," Sanji said. He was tempted to light up, but he only had two cigarettes left, and he had a feeling he'd need them later. So instead he boiled down all his anger and launched himself forward once more.

"Let's see you block _this_," he challenged, and Moult met him head on.

* * *

As far as I know, "Sniping Shot" does not exist. I made it up. S'okay though, if he just kicked Usopp it'd prolly be this anyway, he themes his people-kicks.

There really are plants like Sanji is talking about. A number of cultures discovered that some plants are toxic raw, but if you cook them a certain way they become not only edible but nutritious.

It is also possible to eventually build up tolerance to certain foods and toxins, but I wouldn't advise anybody try it. And a digital cookie for anybody who gets the name reference :)

You know the drill, guys. Thoughtful reviews! I like thoughtful!

~VelkynKarma


	9. Sacrifice Play

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part nine of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Note:** Surprise! I'm going to be gone for most of the day tomorrow and won't have time to edit and post this chapter, so you get it early.

**Warnings:** This one is probably the grittiest of them all, just so you're well aware. Squeamish people be ready!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Music Box:** _WorldEndDominator,_ from the Umineko BGM. Let me know if you play it :)

* * *

"I didn't want to believe that I'd ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition I'd already seen in so many others."

~_Sonny's Blues_

* * *

Usopp reached the top of the slope quickly, trying his hardest to ignore the bruises that were already forming from the impromptu launch-kick Sanji had sent him flying with. He would have been angry, but he knew it was necessary. These guys cheated, and they already had an unfair advantage against Luffy and Zoro. He had to help, however possible.

Turning, he circled back around and spotted the five combatants on the cliff's edge. Zoro was in a heated sword battle with Sasori. Even at this distance Usopp could see his eyes narrowed in concentration, saw his teeth glistening as the swordsman grimaced around the hilt of his white katana. He and Sasori's weapons were moving so fast Usopp could barely see them, and their arms were a blur. He thought the Scorpion Hunter leader might be using a knife in one hand to compensate for Zoro's triple-wielding, and of course he was using his wicked curved scimitar in the other. Zoro, naturally, was using all three of his precious katana.

Not too far away from him, Luffy was fighting with incredibly determination against two opponents: Kawazu, the first mate, and Doku Spinifer, the doctor. The two Scorpion Hunters appeared to be making periodic dashes to try and back up their leader and interfere with Zoro's battle. Luffy stopped them before they could, in any way possible; sweeping their feet, pounding the ground, launching _Gomu Gomu no Gatlings_ and _Fireworks_ with breathtaking speed and ferocity. He was clearly trying to take at least one down too, when they weren't trying to run and faced Luffy seriously. But there was a problem, and Usopp could see it after only a few moments.

It was Doku Spinifer, the Scorpion Hunters' doctor. The sniper could clearly see just how he'd gotten his job as the doctor now. Usopp didn't know what sort of technique he was using, but whenever he or Kawazu took any serious injury from Luffy the man seemed able to heal it almost instantly. Usopp was sure he saw Kawazu's arm snap in an obvious break, and the man definitely shrieked enough for it. But even as Luffy was drawing back his rubber arms to launch another series of moves Spinifer leapt forward, grabbed the second in command's arm, and wrenched it back into place with a sickening _crack_. Seconds later Kawazu took advantage of his newly moveable arm and deflected Luffy's _Gomu Gomu no Pistol_ with the back of one hooksword.

That had to stop, and fast. Luffy was more than capable of taking down either of them, or possibly even both if he had enough time, but not if they kept healing themselves. He'd wear himself down to exhaustion while his enemies would have basically taken no damage at all, and then he'd be easy to kill. Usopp couldn't let that happen, so he had to think of a plan, and fast.

Observing the fight gave him inspiration after a few more moments. Kawazu seemed to act as the pair's primary attacker: he would lash out with his hookswords to slice or beat at Luffy's arms and legs when they got too close. Spinifer stayed near him, but other than some self-defense if Luffy's limbs strayed too close, the man didn't involve himself in the battle at all. Instead, he simply stayed near the second in command and healed him when necessary. If Usopp could draw him away from the fight, Luffy would be able to take Kawazu down without having to worry about his opponent healing himself. And since Spinifer didn't attack, Usopp was fairly sure he could survive a fight with the man long enough for Luffy to come help once the Scorpion's second was taken down.

Plan decided, Usopp dug into his bag and set a pellet to his sling. He drew, took careful aim, waited until the doctor and second were further away than usual, and fired with an enthusiastic roar of, _"Flame Star!"_

It was a direct hit to the face. The star burst and fire pooled around the doctor's skull, but Usopp knew better than to hope he'd managed a kill (and he was rather fearful of doing so anyway; it was rather terrifying to think one might be capable of stealing a life). Doku shrieked in surprise and pulled backwards, clutching at his face with his hands, and Luffy used the opportunity to launch another rubber attack at the men and sweep them both off their feet.

Usopp cheered excitedly at Luffy's success. His captain was already pulling his arms back for another rubber barrage, eyes narrowed with the sharp focus rarely seen in him for anything other than combat. But Kawazu and Doku were already pulling themselves to their feet, and the sniper bit back his cheer abruptly. He had to get ready. He only had so much time until Doku came at him, and he had to be able to hold the doctor off long enough for Luffy to finish off the Scorpions' second in command.

But it wasn't the doctor that turned towards Usopp. Even as Kawazu stumbled to a stand, his eyes swung around to meet Usopp's, and they glimmered with murderous intent. Snarling "Stay here, I'll take the weak one down fast and come back to help," the second in command broke off his fight with Luffy and charged straight at Usopp. His hookswords were wide and at at the ready.

Usopp shrieked in surprise and had turned to bolt before he even thought twice. There was no way he'd last five minutes against that man; he was insane, and he looked _angry._ He caught a glimpse of Luffy stretching an arm after the second angrily, but Doku blocked the attack and drew his attention. Luffy was on him in seconds, leaving the Scorpion's second charging after the Strawhats sniper with murder in his heart.

So Usopp ran, screaming, and it was several seconds before he could even calm his panicking heart enough to try and think of a plan. He didn't necessarily have to _beat_ Kawazu. He just had to hold him off long enough for Luffy or Zoro to take down their opponents and come rescue him. The same plan as before still applied—he just had to make sure Kawazu didn't get near him, period.

Smoke stars weren't an option, since he had to be able to keep an eye on Kawazu to keep the right distance. But he had a few other tools that could work. Digging into his bag, he withdrew a handful of caltrops and (careful to place them correctly, after that incident with Nami back in his home village) tossed them behind him. Kawazu screeched to a halt and tried to pick a path around the tossed spikes, scowling. Usopp used the opportunity to fire a series of flame and exploding stars in rapid succession, aiming for the face and hands. If he could blind the enemy second, or make him drop his weapons, he might have a chance.

But Kawazu was apparently second for a reason—the same reason Zoro was their first mate. The man was tenacious, and pushed his way through the bursts angrily, patting flames from his greasy hair and coat as he moved. Usopp panicked, fired an egg star to try and blind the man again, but that failed as well. And now the second was too close. Grimacing, Usopp turned to bolt, wishing desperately he could trick the man with a ketchup star. But he had a nasty feeling Kawazu would verify, and it would probably be painful. And fatal.

He tossed more caltrops, but Kawazu dodged them nimbly, now expecting them. Panicking further, Usopp poured on the speed, running further down the edge of the forest; he'd now passed Zoro and Sasori's wild duel and was moving away from all of the cliff combat with Kawazu hot on his heels. That scared him further. If he got too far away from Zoro or Luffy, they wouldn't be able to come help him. But he couldn't turn around at this juncture, not with the enemy right behind him.

He had to do something. He was the Brave Captain Usopp, for crying out loud! He couldn't let a single enemy put a stop to him! Even if he couldn't beat Kawazu, he had to get back to the others, and to do that, he had to come up with an idea, fast.

Digging through his bag, he came up with a sudden solution when his fingers brushed a cool, swirling, slightly rough surface. It wasn't ideal, but it would do, if he could just work up the nerve...

Unbidden, the images of three bodies came to mind. Nami, laying still in her rock tomb, bloody hole in her chest. Chopper, with that heavy crossbow quarrel right between his eyes. Robin, still and cold in Sanji's arms. If he didn't do something, they'd never get them back. Those three had all died because of _him_, because he'd been dumb enough to get himself caught and because they'd felt obligated to come save him. He couldn't let that go to waste, and he had to do his part to get them back.

So, terrified, shaking with every movement he made, and yet backed by hardened resolve, Usopp spun abruptly on one heel. He brought his slingshot up and fired another flame star directly at Kawazu's face, but it was more of a distraction than anything else. Kawazu immediately moved to brush the flames from his face and pat the little flickering tongues out once again. But by then Usopp had already borrowed a leaf from Zoro's book and clenched his slingshot between his teeth (for safekeeping; he'd need it soon enough). He plunged his hand into his bag and charged straight for the Scorpion's second, screaming around the wooden handle of his weapon all the way.

Kawazu seemed surprised, but his expression quickly morphed into one of satisfaction. The hookswords came spinning around to smash down on Usopp's skull. Forget cutting; if those connected his head would be beaten straight in, and everything inside with it.

But Usopp had something to counter with that Kawazu couldn't possibly know about. As the swords came down, Usopp's hand whipped out of his bag, and with it came his Impact Dial. The hookswords connected with the swirling shell, and while Usopp's arm was bent back slightly from the force of the blow, most of the attack was swallowed by the Skypiean fossil.

Kawazu seemed genuinely stunned, and Usopp didn't waste time. He elbowed the second in the ribs as he ducked under the man's arms and shot past him, tearing back towards Luffy and Zoro as fast as he could. He could see Luffy in the distance, focused intensely on Doku as he pounded at the man again and again relentlessly. Zoro's swords were still flashing at an astonishing pace, though he was currently facing in Usopp's direction and seemed to glance the sniper briefly over Sasori's shoulder.

Neither was finished with their battle yet, but Usopp was doing a fairly good job of holding off Kawazu so far. If he could hold out for just a few more minutes, he was sure one of them could come to his aid. The Impact Dial trick probably wouldn't work again, but he could still use it as a shield if Kawazu got too close, and he was sure he had a few other tricks in his bag that he could draw on. This could work. This could really, really work, and he could really contribute to helping the Strawhats win and saving the others!

He was near the main battle ground now, and could already feel the earth shaking from Luffy's frenzied attacks. Probably a good time to double back again, before Kawazu decided to rejoin one of the other fights. Usopp was just forming a plan involving his Flash Dial and a few more explosive stars when he felt something rip into his ankle, sending searing pain flashing through his brain. Before he realized it he had thudded to the ground, his long nose smashing into the dirt painfully.

Scrabbling frantically against the dirt, he managed to flip himself enough to look back. His right boot was sliced open, and his foot was bleeding. It looked almost as though he'd tried to imitate Zoro's fool move back on Little Garden, trying to cut off his feet, but Usopp knew for a fact he hadn't done _that._

Then he looked back further, and his jaw dropped. Kawazu was just coming up from a crouch. His two weapons were linked together at their hooked ends, and even as Usopp watched he swung one back to his free left hand, gripping it firmly. Usopp was able to put the pieces together quickly. Kawazu had linked the weapons and swung them, doubling his range and cutting Usopp's feet out from underneath him almost literally.

The sniper's eyes widened, and he struggled to come to his feet and scrabble away from the Scorpion's second. But a sharp pain ripped through his senses every time he put weight on his injured ankle, and though he managed to gain his feet there was no way he could run, not like this. Not good. His plan revolved around staying _away_ from Kawazu long enough to keep him occupied. It wouldn't work at all if his opponent could catch up to him!

The enemy second in command was pacing closer now, hookswords raised. Usopp tried to force himself past the pain into a run, but stumbled almost immediately. Kawazu laughed, and Usopp managed to bring his Impact Dial around just in time to block the man's dual swing.

"None of that," the man said harshly. "I won't fall for the same trick twice." One hooksword swept low, smacking the sniper's foot with its blunt backside and causing him to crash towards the ground. The second hook swung out and pried the Impact Dial from Usopp's hands.

Usopp made a lunge for the shell, but with another vicious swing Kawazu sent it spinning away into the shadows of the crystalline trees not too far from the cliff's edge. His slingshot followed shortly, propelled by the second hook. Usopp paled when he found himself unarmed, unable to run, and sprawled on the ground at the hands of an enemy who had already proven he was not afraid to kill.

"Shoulda just given up at the start, you runt," Kawazu said with a snort, as he raised the hookswords high. "This game is a waste of time." And then he brought the weapons slashing down and across, straight at the vulnerable sniper, and all Usopp could do was scream.

* * *

Sanji cursed as Moult blocked another series of kicks, and these some of his most powerful. He flipped back to his feet from the handstand he had used to launch his attacks and stepped backward, breathing hard.

It was so frustrating, being stuck down here. He could hear noises from up above: the clash of steel, the rumbling of the earth as the entire cliffside shook, the muted booms that were probably Usopp-delivered explosions. He could hear it all, but he couldn't see any of it, didn't know how his nakama were faring. He didn't like that at all, not with three of his nakama already dead and gone and their enemies the men who had caused it.

The thought reinvigorated him, and he swung out with another kick. Moult, the tracker, blocked it easily and spun away from the force of the blow, shoving Sanji back a pace in the process. The cook stumbled backwards, gained his feet, and scowled at his enemy.

"You really don't know when to quit," the tracker slurred, still chewing thoughtfully on his toothpick. "I'm going to block every time, y'know..."

"That's not going to stop me from trying," Sanji growled back. All the same, the man had a point. Moult had an uncanny ability to know exactly what Sanji would do, almost before he did it. It reminded the cook uneasily of the _mantra_ they had encountered up on Skypiea, the strange thought-reading process that both Enel and his priests had used. If Moult had the ability to use _mantra_, it would certainly explain why he was the tracker, and how he could block all of Sanji's moves so effortlessly.

But the pirate wasn't about to give up that easily. He meant exactly what he said, and he had beaten Skypiea's priests before, even with their _mantra_. He was going to go straight through Moult if he had to, come hell or high water.

From what he remembered, randomness seemed to help in combat with _mantra_ users. Sanji dodged sideways at the wall of the cliff and launched another series of rapid kicks at the stone. Boulder-sized rocks broke free from the pressure of his attacks and rained down on the enemy tracker and Sanji alike. The cook slipped backwards out of range, having no idea where the stones would land, and waited for his opportunity to strike.

But when he found Moult in the mess, he was stunned. The tracker was dodging easily, leaping between and atop the large stones while still wearing his sleepy expression, and his eyes were fixed right on Sanji. Even as the cook leapt forward to kick out at the man, Moult blocked again and shoved him back once more, effectively halting his progress up the slope.

"Damn it!" Sanji swore out loud. "If it's not mantra what the hell _is_ it? I don't have time for this shit!"

Moult blinked lazy eyes at him. "Mantra? Is that food?"

"You stupid son of a—"

"But to answer your question," the tracker interrupted him, even as he dodged another swinging leg, "I ate the Sniff-Sniff fruit. I'm a sniffer."

Sanji rolled backwards as his latest attack was repelled, setting his legs under him but not attacking again. A sniffer? "What the hell is that?" he growled, voicing his confusion. "You what..._smell_ things really well?"

"Mm...that's about it," the man answered seriously. He paused, picked at his teeth with his toothpick absently as he yawned.

Once satisfied, he added, "Not just smells too. I smell _other things._ I can smell emotions, and intentions, even things you've already done." He took a deep breath through his nostrils, considered carefully, and then said slowly, "The two up top, the ones Boss didn't want you to go help...they're the most dangerous. I can smell that they've already killed. The sword man especially. He's done it more than once, but most of them are very faint, like they were a long time ago." Another deep breath through his nose. "That other one is terrified. He smells like a runner. Probably will take a while to find him, but he'll go down easy."

Sanji's eyes widened slightly, but he narrowed them almost immediately. He didn't want to give anything away, but Moult's quick sniff-reading had been creepily accurate. If he had eaten a Devil Fruit that enhanced his smelling abilities, that shouldn't come as a surprise, but Sanji still didn't like it.

Even more importantly, Sanji now knew how the man was defending against all of his attacks. _Mantra_, he recalled, had been based off of one inherent sense: hearing. Enhanced, it had become almost deadly, allowing their enemies to predict attacks and counter appropriately. Moult's ability derived from a different sense, that of smell, but the results were still the same. He said he could smell intent. He could probably pick up from a combination of that and the scents of emotions exactly how Sanji planned to attack next.

But how was he supposed to counter it? He'd tried causing a random attack, as they'd used against the _mantra_ wielders, but it had proven ineffective. Moult's sense of smell had to extend to non-living things as well, Sanji surmised.

But there was a weakness to everything, and Sanji intended to find it. He knew how Moult's ultimate defense worked; now he just had to find the cracks in that shield and break them down. Furious and determined, he hurled himself at the tracker again with another barrage of vicious kicks.

Their battle went on for a while. Sanji could tell that at least, though he had long since lost track of time. It consisted of mostly the cook attacking, and Moult defending. When Sanji stumbled in exhaustion or lost his balance, the enemy tracker threw out a halfhearted kick or shove, but while he caused a few bruises it didn't seem to be his intent to kill, or even badly wound. He was probably a defensive member of the crew then. The real offensive crap-Scorpions were above.

It was frustrating, to think he was being held down here by not even one of the strongest members of the Hunters. Sanji could still hear noises above, vaguely thought he heard Usopp screaming a few minutes ago in terror, and it sent his attacks into a new heightened frenzy. But he couldn't break through, no matter what he did. It was driving him mad.

And then the crap-Scorpions put and end to it themselves. As Sanji flipped backward, recovering from his latest barrage of attacks, he saw Sasori's head poke suddenly over the cliff-wall's edge. "Beat it, Moult!" he roared. "Tactical retreat!" And then the head was gone, and Sanji could hear pounding footsteps above.

"Hrm," the tracker said in response, and turned on his heel, beginning to jog up the cliff slope towards his fellow crap-Scorpions. Sanji would have none of that. He charged after the retreating man, firing off another angry kick to hold him in place and take him down.

It was only then that Moult responded aggressively, the first time he had since their fight started. He dodged Sanji's kick, and smashed out with one, two, three of his own in rapid succession. Sanji was so stunned that the man attacked back at all that he took the hits, unable to dodge. He hit the ground with a grunt, rolled, and stumbled to his feet, coughing as he placed one hand to his now throbbing stomach. Moult was long gone by then, already up at the top of the slope and charging for the crystalline tree line with surprising agility.

Sanji gave chase weakly, but knew the man had gotten away by the time he reached the top of the slope himself. Moult was nowhere in sight, and the forbidding crystal trees left translucent shadows that still hid their depths astonishingly well. They would be fools to charge in there after the crap-Scorpions. It'd be too easy to ambush them.

So instead he turned to survey the damage. He was fairly sure the other three would be behind him, on the cliff's edge, if the sounds he had heard were any indication. His eyes swept the grounds quickly, searching for his nakama.

And then he paled at what he saw, and before he knew it he was stumbling forward towards the blood-soaked, hard-packed ground at the edge of the cliff.

* * *

Usopp saw his death coming, screamed though he couldn't hear it in his own ears. The hookswords struck out at him, wicked metal tips gleaming, one still dripping blood from his foot injury. The sniper found his gaze fixated on them. In the stories the fantasy characters always looked away, never saw their death coming, and somehow it always seemed to hurt them less. But this was nothing like that. The stories had been lies. He couldn't look away from his own impending doom, and those hooked weapons filled his vision, as did Kawazu's nasty grin.

And then, unexpectedly, Zoro was between them.

Usopp didn't know how he got there so fast. Zoro had been several feet away in the middle of a heated battle with Sasori; Usopp couldn't fathom how the swordsman had managed to not only break away from that fight, but put himself between the sniper and the enemy second in command as well. As it was, he had no time to dodge, or block, only serve as a shield of human flesh and bone. And those hookswords were still swinging, even if Kawazu's expression had now changed to one of surprise.

The scene had changed, but Usopp still found it was impossible to tear his gaze away. The hookswords had been angled low to attack an enemy on the ground, but now they dug deeply into Zoro's stomach, piercing and ripping with vulgar accuracy. Zoro rasped in pain, coughed as blood spat between his teeth and dripped over the pristine white katana grip, though he didn't drop it even now. Usopp gagged at the sudden, overwhelming scent of blood. And though Zoro's back was to him, and he couldn't see the extent of the damage, he could certainly guess at it from the smell alone.

But Zoro was still Zoro, and even taking such a deep and agonizing injury he didn't scream and drop his sword, didn't collapse, didn't even stumble backward or step on Usopp's sprawled form. The sniper watched, bewildered, as Zoro instead moved to counterattack, swords raising and glittering brightly in the morning light.

The strikes were too fast for Usopp to follow, but he knew all three swords had been used. It had barely been seconds since Zoro intervened, but after those strikes Kawazu fell back screaming, and Usopp stared around Zoro's body at the damage, stunned. One of the wicked hookswords had been shattered, its blade broken cleanly in two by something much sharper, more deadly. The weapon was dropped, and the hand that had wielded it lacked three fingers, severed equally cleanly at the knuckles. And a deep slash had blossomed across the man's chest, not quite fatal but certainly dangerous.

The second shrieked, his good hand holding his remaining hooksword out defensively, his wounded hand pressing against his new bleeding chest wound. No longer confident, the man looked wary, and eyed Zoro with the same expression a wounded wildcat might give a rival predator. Even with Zoro wounded, the man was obviously not taking chances.

"Run," Zoro half-growled, half-grunted, and it took Usopp a second to realize that the swordsman was talking to him.

"I'll try," Usopp gasped. It took him another moment to realize he was sobbing, probably from both fear _and_ relief. And he did try, staggering painfully to his feet, limping heavily to keep off of his wounded foot as much as possible.

But he had barely hobbled five feet when Zoro suddenly staggered backwards, nearly running into the injured sniper's back. Startled, Usopp spun around, nearly crashing to the ground again in the process as he swayed off balance, and stared in horror.

Sasori had reappeared now, clearly angry that Zoro had abandoned the battle with him to defend a crew mate. Both he and Kawazu were attacking the swordsman now, Sasori as the primary attacker with Kawazu providing support, even with his injuries. Zoro displayed an impressive variety of defensive swordplay, his two black-hilted swords working independently of each other as he did his best to hold the enemy weapons at bay. But even so, he was being forced back, steadily losing ground. And while Usopp was behind him still, he could already see the rivulets of blood dripping down to the dirt at Zoro's feet. The wound was bleeding too fast, and even for Zoro that wasn't a good sign.

Worse still, it wasn't his only injury. Zoro had to focus most of his defensive moves on Sasori, keeping those poisoned, deadly blades away from his skin. In that he was successful, but it left his defenses open for Kawazu, who was slashing at him with the tip of his hooked sword whenever the chance presented itself. The attacks were weaker than they had been, with Kawazu's own injury, but Zoro was rapidly becoming covered in wide gashes that were bleeding badly.

_I have to help,_ Usopp told himself, over and over. Zoro was good, but if they didn't treat those injuries _now_ he was going to d—leave the game. They couldn't afford that, not now, not ever. And so, although his foot screamed every time he used it, and he was shaking so badly he thought he might be able to actually shatter himself to pieces, he managed to stagger over to where Kawazu had knocked his Impact Dial and his slingshot.

Loading the pellet was excruciating. The Lead Stars kept shaking out of his hands, and when he finally got one in it was almost impossible to aim. But he had to do it—he didn't want to see another nakama die, not like this—and so with a deep breath he managed to bring the slingshot up and aim it in the direction of the fight.

And stopped cold. He couldn't fire it. They were moving around too much,_ far _too much. Zoro was being driven backward towards Luffy, Doku and the cliff edge despite his admirable attempts to hold his ground and defend, and Sasori and Kawazu pressed their advantage mercilessly. If Usopp fired now, he risked a good chance of hitting Zoro. And while Zoro had proven before he could take a hit from his Lead Stars without dropping on a good day, in his present state he was afraid he could hurt the swordsman badly.

So he shook, held his slingshot at the ready, and cursed himself vehemently for not being able to fire.

In the end, it was Luffy that came to the rescue. As the three-way fight neared their captain, Usopp was able to glance over at that battle, and felt a flicker of hope enter his heart. As he had with Tazan, Luffy was repeatedly pounding the enemy doctor with gatling-gun punches, overpowering the man with sheer force of will. Doku was trying even now to heal his injuries, but for every single bone he snapped back into place or single cut he managed to mend Luffy added ten more. He was obviously weakening, and after a few more moments Spinifer finally stopped moving, took the hits without complaint or cry, with the patience under brutality that only a corpse could possess.

It was then that he looked up, saw the three way battle, and cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Sasori swore, and to Usopp's surprise lashed out with an unsportsmanlike kick at the same time he swung is scimitar. Zoro blocked the blade, but the foot hit him right in his gaping stomach injury, and he fell back before he could even try to brace himself. Instead of pressing his attack, Sasori dodged the angry _Gomu-Gomu no Pistol_ that was fired his way, dived to the edge of the cliff, and screamed, "Beat it, Moult! Tactical retreat!"

And then he was running, bolting past Usopp before the sniper could so much as try to fire a shot at him. Kawazu was hot on his heels, a hand still pressed to his bleeding injury. The tracker, Moult, appeared moments later, and the three dived into the crystalline depths of the astral forest, disappearing from sight.

Usopp didn't even consider chasing them. Panicking, he hobbled forward towards Luffy, who was already crouching over Zoro with a worried expression on his face. The swordsman was sprawled on his back, hands still wrapped around his swords, though the blood-stained white one had fallen from his mouth when he was kicked and lay a short distance away.

"Luffy," the sniper said urgently. "Chopper's backpack—the bandages—hurry!" Luffy moved quickly, whipping the small backpack from his shoulders and handing it over to Usopp.

Sanji appeared just as Usopp gave the order to sit Zoro up so they could bind his injuries, even as he dug through the contents of Chopper's little backpack. The cook looked stunned, his one visible eye wide in bewildered horror as as he stared at the gaping stomach wound Zoro sported. But he moved quickly to help Luffy sit him up against a small pile of boulders the Scorpions hadn't had the chance to throw down at them. The swordsman grunted in pain as he was shifted, but finally relinquished his death grip on his sword hilts once he realized their enemies had vanished and allowed himself to be moved without complaint.

Usopp had retrieved the roll of bandages and the salve Chopper used by then, and bent to examine the most pressing injury Zoro had taken: his stomach wound, the one he had received when he acted as a human shield for the sniper. Up close, the injury was even worse than Usopp had anticipated. He knew it was bleeding badly, and that the hookswords had torn deep into Zoro's abdomen. What he hadn't realized was just _how_ deep.

Zoro's stomach had been torn clean open, a huge, vicious gash that slashed clear across his entire front side and exposed his insides. Usopp didn't think it had been as bad as that at first; he had probably torn it open further when trying to defend against both Sasori and Kawazu, or possibly the Scorpions' second had ripped it open further when he attacked. There was slick blood everywhere, still pumping sluggishly from the gaping wound and dripping over everything—Zoro's skin, his haramaki, the rest of the crew's hands just from the effort of moving him. His insides were pulsing weakly and seemed torn as well, and Usopp had to clench his teeth and fight the effort to throw up. The wound was bad. _Really_ bad. If Chopper was still here, and they had been on the _Going Merry_, where their doctor had his surgical instruments, Zoro might have been okay. Maybe. But here...

Usopp shook his head furiously, began unrolling the bandages. "It's n-not bad at all," he said through clenched teeth. "I'm sure you've had worse, right, Zoro?" But even for him it was a terrible lie, and he could tell just how awkward it was.

Zoro was watching him quietly. He was sweating pretty heavily, occasionally his eye would twitch or he would utter a soft grunt as his wound affected him, and his breathing was painfully shallow. But he seemed remarkably calm, almost frighteningly so. Wasn't Zoro afraid of anything? He was going to d—

"Calm down," the swordsman told him cooly. He coughed almost immediately after, spat more blood away in disgust a few seconds later.

It felt as though he'd been slapped, and before Usopp could stop himself he reacted. Suddenly he was shouting, or crying, or maybe both blended together in some strange, chaotic mass that had been rolled into a ball and jammed into his heart or his throat; he couldn't quite tell. But he clearly heard himself loudly saying, "Calm down? _Calm down_? Damnit, Zoro, you shouldn't even have the right to tell me to calm down, there's a huge _hole_ in you and I can't even do anything about it and you shouldn't even have it at all, he was trying to kill _me_, I don't know why you even bothered to get in the way—"

A sudden impact jarred his senses, and he found himself sitting on the ground, blinking away stars. Luffy had smacked him; lightly for their captain, but still with an impressive amount of force. It worked, though, and Usopp was able to force the ragged edges of hysteria back a little, gain a tiny sliver of control over himself.

"Thanks," Zoro coughed.

"Yeah," Luffy answered, equally calmly. He had rushed to follow Usopp's orders in the attempt to save his first mate, but seemed to understand there would be no salvation for Zoro, not in this game. It made him oddly solemn, eerily quiet.

"Sorry," Usopp said instead, his voice oddly trembling. "All of this is happening because of me. And...and you shouldn't have gotten hurt like that because of me, either."

Zoro shrugged. There wasn't much to that simple movement, but it said _I protect my nakama_ clear as day, even without words. Luffy said nothing. Sanji was standing a few paces away, refusing to look in their direction; he looked like he seriously wanted to kick something, or someone.

The swordsman moved sluggishly now, tried to lift his hand to his head to remove the bandana and failed halfway there. Luffy pulled it off instead and quietly tied it around Zoro's arm, where it belonged when he wasn't in the heat of battle. Zoro nodded again quietly in thanks, still said nothing, and Usopp noted again how often the captain and first mate seemed to interact as if they knew each others' thoughts perfectly.

Then Zoro coughed again, and this time he didn't stop, not for a long while. The very action of moving his arm seemed to have weakened him badly. And with the internal injuries they could clearly see before him, it was unsurprising that he coughed up blood at an alarming rate, and that his stomach wound seemed to dye even more of the haramaki's thick fabric a dull brown. There wasn't anything they could do for him, not even to stem the blood flow, and Usopp knew without a doubt Zoro was going to di—_leave_ due to bleeding out.

The coughing fit relaxed at last, and Zoro leaned back tiredly against the rocks, apparently exhausted. It looked for all the world like he was simply getting ready for a good nap after a short encounter with marines or another band of pirates, and Usopp almost would have believed it was just a nap but for the mass of gore at his torso.

And then Zoro abruptly spoke. "Sorry, Captain."

The two words brought Usopp's head up with a snap. Even Sanji turned back around and fixed Zoro with a surprised look. The swordsman _never_ called Luffy by his title unless it was serious, and Usopp could count on one hand the number of times he'd ever _apologized._

Only Luffy didn't seem completely shocked. Rather, his expression melded into one of quiet confusion. "Eh?"

"Promised I wouldn't lose again." Zoro's words were shorter, starting to slur, almost as though he was drunk, but he seemed lucid enough. "Just...just a game but...still lost. Broke it."

"N-no you didn't, you haven't lost!" Usopp started to stutter, but Sanji placed a hand on his shoulder and the sniper cut off slowly. When he looked up, Sanji had a grim expression on his face, and his eyes hadn't left the first mate, but while he looked pissed he didn't say anything.

"Usopp's right," Luffy said slowly, but oddly calmly. "You didn't lose. And you didn't break your promise. You were protecting nakama. You promised you would do that too. So you're still a good pirate." And he broke into a quick grin; terribly weak for Luffy, but that still meant it was wide and reassuring. "Besides, he ran away, so you didn't lose anyway."

"Yeah..." Zoro managed an equally weak smirk that cut off abruptly as it shifted to a grimace of pain. One of his hands twitched, clutched weakly as though he were trying to grab for his stomach wound, but he couldn't lift it.

It was a vast difference from Sanji, Usopp thought with a wince. The cook's hand was still on his shoulder, and it was digging in like a vice. Sanji might not use his hands for battle, but he still had a grip like iron. Usopp did his best not to whimper as the grip tightened further.

Then his shoulder was abruptly released, and Sanji stomped forward, looking furious. "You son of a bitch," he snarled, and for a moment Usopp was surprised it wasn't _marimo_ or _shit-swordsman_, until he realized this wasn't banter. Sanji was genuinely _angry._

"You had no fucking right to go get yourself killed, you dumbass," the cook continued, still looking furious. "Robin-chan guessed that I was going to get targeted next, not...not _you_."

"Sorry," Zoro spat back, but this apology dripped with slurring sarcasm. "Didn't...know it was a competition." He looked like he planned to grate out more, but another wet coughing fit brought him to a halt.

It seemed to make Sanji even more angry. "It isn't funny," he hissed. "I am sick and fucking tired of watching my nakama get taken out in this shitty game!"

"Don't be a pansy," Zoro rasped back. There was blood dripping from his lips now, but he didn't seem to care. "Say 'killed.' "

"Why the fuck should I—"

"If you don't accept it," Zoro cut him off, very slowly, very seriously, as though concentrating hard on his words to get them out properly, "you're not gonna win. And you'd better win, curly-brow, since you're so damn sure you're next."

Sanji looked like Zoro had actually hit him with a sword strike, pierced deeply. Zoro smirked at him weakly through the blood and added, "I know you're not...as strong as I am, love-cook...but you're just gonna have to suck it up and try to hold out."

"_Stronger,_ marimo? Who's still standing, huh?" Sanji blanched as he realized the exact implications of what he had said, but Zoro chuckled weakly, and Usopp realized he'd deliberately baited their cook back to some edge of calm. Sanji seemed to realize it too, because at Zoro's laugh his expression was annoyed, but no longer livid, and held a tiny touch of respect. The sniper couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Even d...dying, Zoro was doing his best to look out for them. Luffy had definitely chosen his first mate correctly, and he was obviously thinking the same thing, from the way that straw-hatted head bobbed in approval.

The weak chuckling turned to coughing again, and when it subsided Zoro was still breathing—but barely. With a grimace he tried to speak one more time, and his voice came out as a soft, bubbling whisper. "One...more thing..."

The others leaned close to hear him better. Zoro's gaze fell to his white sword, still unsheathed some distance away, and he said slowly, softly, "Swords. Don't let...those bastards...have my swords..." A deep breath, the deepest he could manage which was pathetically little, and then, "Just a game...not real...but still makes me sick t...to think...could use _my_ swords...on you guys..."

Usopp shuddered, imagining again with crystal clarity Kawazu's hooksword shattering as Zoro counterattacked. The man was without a weapon, and would probably use anything he could get a hold of for this cruel game, including Zoro's katana if he managed to find them. And the men obviously had no problems with robbing the dead. It would have been more respectful to leave Zoro's swords with his body here, when he had d..._died_...but if those men found them...

Luffy nodded, but Sanji was the one to act. He reached out, ignored the blood still dripping over the soaked haramaki, and pulled the sword sheathes free from their belt loops. Then, standing, he calmly turned his back on the dying swordsman and went to collect each of the three katana, snapping them cooly into their corresponding sheathes. He never looked back on Zoro once, but Usopp noted he was careful to replace each sword in the swordsman's narrow line of vision, and he couldn't help but offer a tiny smile. Those two understood each other well, when it counted.

Zoro's head tilted back now, and his eyes were closed. Luffy watched, still sitting cross-legged next to his first mate, and spoke to him one final time. "We'll get you back, Zoro."

And Zoro, eyes still closed, bleeding from over a dozen wounds and with a hole through his stomach, answered with a tone of supreme calm and utter confidence even in his whisper. "Yeah. I know."

After that it was silent. Zoro looked for all the world like he was asleep, with eyes closed and the faint rise and fall of his chest as he struggled to breathe. The blood loss had finally forced him into unconsciousness. They could have left then; it would still take another minute or two, and he would never know they'd left his body behind in the interim. Zoro wouldn't be aware of anything now, Usopp was sure, not even with his usual uncanny ability to know what was going on in the middle of a nap on deck. And it would be safest. Who knew if the three remaining Scorpion Hunters were watching from the trees for a surprise counter-attack, after all.

But none of them were willing to leave their nakama, not while he was still alive, even if he was beyond saving. So they sat (or in Sanji's case stood) and waited, watching the weak rise and fall of that bloodied chest. And it was only when he exhaled, and didn't breathe in again, that they started breathing once more themselves.

* * *

Usopp's tactics are, ironically enough, inspired by my_ World of Warcraft_ hunter. Hunters are ranged fighters. They are also excellent kiters. I could totally see Usopp kiting a boss around until tank-Zoro and DPS monsters Luffy and Sanji can tear the others down. (Zoro would be the tank just because he absorbs stupid amounts of damage without going down...and I bet triple-wielding would let you build up crazy amounts of threat too!) Okay, geek rant over.

If you can figure out what Moult's ability was inspired by, you win a cookie!

And speaking of cookies, nobody guessed the reference last time. Roberts, the chef Sanji mentioned, is based off of the Dread Pirate Roberts from _The Princess Bride_, who made himself immune to a poisonous powder over several years of time. And incidentally I could _totally_ see a _Princess Bride_ parody in _One Piece_; every time I see Westley I can't help but think he looks like Sanji. They even have the same missing eye sometimes!

You know the drill. Thoughtful reviews, yada yada.

~VelkynKarma


	10. Red Drenched Gloom

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part ten of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

* * *

"What brought you boy? Have you no fear of death?"

~_On Baile's Strand_, W.B. Yeats

* * *

It felt a little wrong to just abandon the marimo—no, _Zoro_—like they did. There was no place to hide his body, so they left it leaning against the rocks where he had died, still in the pool of blood saturating the dry, rocky ground. He probably wouldn't have cared anyway; he had been vehement on insisting it was only a game. And Usopp commented that he almost looked like he was just taking one of his regular naps anyway, if you didn't look at the blood and the vicious stomach wound.

So they left it behind, pausing only long enough to tend to Usopp's injured foot. They headed down towards the beach by means of the slope they had taken that night, the same one Sanji had fought on. The cave was inaccessible now, not that any of them wanted to go back into it. They were still exhausted, but nobody felt like sleeping. They _were_ all hungry though, and there were only so many of the unusual fruit-nuts left to hand out, stowed carefully away in Usopp's bag. Sanji suggested checking the pink ocean to see if they could find any fish.

Luffy lead the way after re-securing Chopper's bag to his shoulders. Usopp still carried his own artillery and what passed for their food supplies, so that left Sanji carrying Zoro's three swords, bound together tightly with a strip of cloth that Usopp had provided. To the cook, it felt just as wrong to be carrying those weapons as it had to leave the body laying out there for the metaphorical crows (he hadn't seen any actual crows yet). Nobody touched Zoro's katana, _ever_, unless they were on the receiving end of one of his attacks. It felt strange to be handling them now, partly because he was adamantly against hand-held weaponry as a cook, and partly because he never had. Combined, they were far heavier than he had anticipated and it gave him a little more grudging respect for their swordsman.

They reached the shockingly pink ocean quickly, and Luffy waded in the water long enough to discover that the strange astral ocean affected him just as the real one would. Usopp dragged him free of the water with exasperation and took over the fish-searching duties himself, but he saw nothing edible, which troubled Sanji all the more. If this kept up they would have to go back to the spiral-forest to get more food. If the crap-Scorpions knew the food was there too, it would be an excellent place for an ambush.

They paused long enough to bury Zoro's katana in the strange-colored sand, far enough from the water that the waves wouldn't eventually reveal them. They couldn't carry the swords with them—nobody else knew how to use them, and they were too cumbersome to continually lug around otherwise. Luffy wanted to put a marker for them, but Sanji talked him out of it. For one thing, Zoro wouldn't be needing them any more here. When they went back to the real world (_when_, not_ if_) his real swords would be there anyway, still on his hip. And for another, marking the place of the swords could tip the crap-Scorpions off as to where they were, exactly the opposite of what Zoro had wanted. So they dug deeply into the sand, Usopp placed the swords almost reverently, and covered it up quickly, swishing the sand around until it looked like they had never been there. And in five minutes, when they left the place behind and headed further down the beach to explore and Sanji looked back, he couldn't have recognized the spot again if he tried.

They wandered for most of the day, constantly on edge. The game was three on three now, and both sides had a respectful measure of each other at this point. Robin-chan had guessed that the Scorpion Hunters had played this game before, but Sanji doubted they had ever played against a team that put up as much of a fight as his nakama had. Four of the Scorpions were dead, and it sounded like Zoro had at least fought back before he went down. From the sounds of Usopp's tale, their second in command had been seriously wounded before running off.

And yet despite being constantly at the ready, always on guard, they encountered none of the three remaining Scorpion Hunters for the rest of the day. The pastel green sky began fading to its darker shade slowly, the Strawhats had walked the entire length of the beach, and they had seen neither hide nor hair of Sasori, Kawazu, or Moult.

"I wonder if we scared them off?" Usopp asked timidly. He had been twitchy for most of the day, and his slingshot never left his hand. They had been on their feet for most of the day, and his limp was becoming more and more noticeable, but he was making a valiant effort (for Usopp) to downplay it.

"Maybe," Sanji said. "More likely they're licking their wounds right about now. Probably trying to figure out what next cheap shot to use." He reached for his coat pocket automatically for a cigarette, but caught himself quickly, tried to force back the demanding screech in his mind that begged for another dose of nicotine. Only two left, and he had promised himself one tonight when he was on watch to try and help keep himself awake.

"It doesn't matter," Luffy said firmly. "No matter how much they cheat, we'll still beat them. They hurt my nakama. I'll make them pay for that." His eyes narrowed fiercely, and Sanji noticed yet again the pressing intensity of their captain. Luffy had been a little more like his old self since being reminded that he could still rescue his crew, but it was an on-and-off again sort of cheerfulness. He acted like he was still in combat most of the time, even when they weren't physically in battle. Sanji supposed they were in a fight, even when they weren't; this entire challenge was one huge test of their endurance and combat prowess, not to mention their loyalty.

It was a little frightening to see Luffy so intense all the time, but at the same time it was reassuring to know their captain cared so deeply about them. Luffy wouldn't let them down, no matter what. Even if Sanji somehow got taken down in this game, he knew Luffy would come through for them, just like he always had, no matter the situation.

Not that he intended to go down _easily._ At the very least he still had to figure out how to beat that tracker, Moult. He was certainly the closest to doing so, and had no intentions of going through this entire game without contributing somehow. Hell, Luffy already had two kills to his credit, and even Zoro and sweet Robin-chan had beaten him in that! Sanji was one of the strongest members of the crew, and currently the second-strongest in their new pecking order—there was no way he was going through this game without having a say in the matter.

"We should probably find someplace to rest again," Usopp suggested meekly. Sanji glanced over at him and mentally kicked himself. The sniper was clearly doing his best not to complain, but he was obviously in pain, and was as close to hopping on one foot as he could manage without actually doing so. The constantly shifting sand probably wasn't helping matters either.

"You might have a point," Sanji said, cutting off Luffy's outburst before it began. When Usopp wasn't looking, he glanced meaningfully at the sniper's foot, and for once Luffy caught on.

The captain nodded in agreement and added in truly Luffy fashion, "Yeah, break time! And food time too, right, Sanji? Huh?"

"Sure. Food too, once we find shelter," Sanji humored. He calculated their meager food stores in his head once more. After doling out two more fruits per person that morning for breakfast, there were only twelve of the strange astral fruit-nuts left. That was enough for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. After that, they would not only need to find the remaining three Scorpions, but a new food supply as well.

He kept his concerns to himself for now, however, and simply walked alongside his companions, slowing down when Usopp hit a rough patch. Neither he nor Luffy could afford to carry him unless it was an emergency, as both needed to be ready in case of ambush, but Sanji wasn't about to let the younger teenager get left behind either.

They walked for another hour, and just as darkness hit they found a second, steeper slope leading up the cliffside. The blood-red moon was out again, casting its morbid gleam all over the awkwardly-colored landscape. By its light Sanji thought he could see the same yellowish mountain that they had first seen, when all seven of them were still freshly arrived in this astral world. It had only been two days ago, but it already felt like another lifetime.

Usopp had noticed it too, and as they began walking up the slope (Luffy noticeably on his outside, in case the sniper tripped and started falling off the side) he frowned up at it. "I wonder if they're there?"

"Eh?" Sanji glanced at the mountain again, and Luffy did as well, curious. "Why would they be there?"

"Ah...it's just that that's where they first attacked us," Usopp explained. "Remember, Eagle-Eye...it was like they staked out that mountain for themselves, they attacked from it immediately. And they've been splitting up a lot, so I just wondered if they've been using it as a base is all..."

"They wouldn't be stupid enough to stay in the same place, would they?" Sanji said, frowning.

Usopp winced. "Er...probably not...it was just an idle thought, sorry..."

"No, no." Sanji waved one hand placatingly and added, "Stop that, you're being even less confident than usual. I'm not saying it's a bad idea. In fact it probably has a lot of merit to it. They don't strike me as being used to losing, and if they've done this before they just might have established a place for themselves."

"If that's their place, then we should go break it," Luffy said, very seriously.

"What? But who knows what they could have done to booby-trap it, or guard it or something—"

"But it's a good idea," Sanji agreed. "Even if we don't beat them, just breaking into their self-established stronghold might send them a message. They're already nervous around us, or they wouldn't have run back there. If we could break their resolve..."

"I don't care about that," Luffy scowled. "I just want my nakama back." The words were almost childishly forthright and painfully simple, but this was Luffy, and just because of that they had power behind them.

Usopp had started shaking again, and Sanji was sure it wasn't entirely from fear either. They managed to reach the top of the cliff's slope, but now the sniper stumbled, nearly hitting the yellow stone nose-first. Sanji managed to catch him by the shoulders before he hit.

"Not tonight," the cook said firmly. "It's a good plan Luffy, but we can't do it tonight. We're all tired. Even if the only fight was this morning, we've been on edge all day, waiting for another. We'll find a safe place to rest, eat up, re-bandage, and then try going on the assault in the morning. Tomorrow is only the third day, and we've got five. Plenty of time."

Luffy looked vaguely annoyed at the delay, but eventually nodded. "Okay. You're right. We'll get the others back, but I don't want to see the nakama I still have get hurt any more."

They surveyed their surroundings quickly, and found themselves not too far from the bright yellow stone quarry where they had originally hidden when trying to rescue Nami-san. Sanji nearly choked at the thought, but managed to compose himself. He dreaded going back, but it was the safest place for them to hide at the moment, and would provide a decent amount of shelter, so there really was little choice in the end. Fortunately the quarry was quite large, and they managed to find a small outcropping of rocks far from where they had buried their fellow crew-member. It wasn't ideal shelter, but it kept them decently hidden, and they would have enough warning if one of the Scorpions managed to find them.

None of them ventured out to find Nami's astral-grave. They were afraid of what they would find if they did, and so unanimously decided to stay put for the night.

Sanji handed out their dinner, cracking the fruit-nuts as usual and making a mental note that when he got back to the _Going Merry_ he was avoiding any and all recipes that required peaches. He never thought he'd say it (and he certainly didn't out loud) but he was getting quite sick of this bizarre astral-food.

After eating, Sanji helped the two of them with their wounds. He was still the least injured of the three. Moult had given him some fairly bad bruises with those last few kicks, but he'd had far worse just from disobeying the crap-geezer back on the Baratie and didn't even consider those wounds. Luffy's bite-wound from Tazan was getting quite infected however, even with Chopper's special salve, and was now quite red and puffy. And Usopp's foot injury looked equally painful. In the ideal situation it would have had stitches, but all they could do was bandage it tightly and hope he could hold out. Usopp tried very hard not to complain, obviously influenced by Zoro's near-silent death, but couldn't help it when the occasional whimper or whine escaped his lips.

Since they were worse off, Sanji offered to take the first watch of the night. He was tired himself, but he knew for a fact that Usopp was exhausted, and while Luffy could probably power on through if he had to it was best that they got their rest while they could. Usopp accepted the offer gratefully and curled up at the back of their small outcropping, pillowing his head on his bag; he was out in seconds. Luffy was a little slower in accepting, but eventually curled up next to his sniper and dozed off as well, occasionally flexing his newly re-bandaged hand in his sleep.

Sanji watched them for a long time, until he was sure they were both out cold. Then he shifted his way quietly to the front of their small outcropping, sat down on one of the smaller, slightly more comfortable rocks, and stared out into the red-drenched gloom, thinking.

A part of him was furious with himself. When Robin-chan had told him he would probably be the next target, he hadn't been afraid. Rather, knowing there was a time-limit on his life, he had vowed to himself to do what he could to protect his nakama until his end came. Even if he did die—and part of him had been sure he would, Robin-chan tended to know what she was talking about—he could still contribute to the battles, make sure nobody else died on his watch before him.

But he had fucked that up, and badly. Robin-chan had died saving _his_ life, instead of the other way around. He would have been glad to die for her, if he had to, if the opportunity presented itself. He didn't think he'd ever forgive himself for failing in that, for letting her take his place, and the fact that she'd never given him a chance didn't even cross his mind as an excuse.

And even Zoro was gone now, which was still an impossible fact to wrap his head around. Zoro had been there from the beginning, since Sanji first joined the crew. He was obnoxious and crude, but he was always _there_ to pick a friendly fight with, and the cook had never imagined their first mate ever leaving them behind.

Only now he wasn't going to get up again either; neither of them would, unless he, Luffy and Usopp managed to pull through. Even Usopp had been wounded, and while it wasn't fatal it was one more injury that Sanji had been determined to prevent, and failed miserably at. Hell, he _would_ have been dead if Zoro hadn't intervened. The damn bastard had beat him at that, too. Stupid marimo.

No more, though. They might have lost four of their nakama, but the Scorpions had lost four of their own as well, and it meant the Strawhats were even closer to victory. Only three more to go, and he knew who he was going after next.

His thoughts strayed to Moult, and he could clearly see in his mind's eye the drooping, lazy-eyed man, replayed how the bastard blocked each one of his attacks with ease. It made him furious to think he had been so easily brought to a halt, but he was determined to work through it, to find some sort of weakness. The others hadn't been able to come up with any ideas earlier, not when he explained his own fight to them while they wandered on the beach, and he knew now that Moult was going to be entirely up to him.

So he spent his next hour on watch replaying the fight in his head, over and over, analyzing each part of the fight with blow-by-blow detail. No matter what he did, no matter what he thought of, he couldn't find any form of pattern. The man was able to predict what he did, and it had nothing to do with straight up skill. The key to beating him had to be in the Devil Fruit power, but short of tossing the man in the ocean and letting him drown he had no idea what he could possibly do about it.

Frustrated, and feeling a little sleepy himself, Sanji finally shook his head and awarded himself his second-to-last cigarette. He lit up quickly, shielding the tiny flame with one hand to prevent it signaling their location, and learned quickly if he turned his head just so the burning end of the cigarette could be hidden in the gloom and wouldn't give him away.

It was like a breath of life through his body. The smell of the cigarette smoke burned in his nostrils pleasantly. Normally he barely noticed the scent since he smoked so often, but he had gone for more than a day without a single smoke in this pure, astral air, and it seemed much more noticeable now. The pungent, sweet aroma of poison had never seemed so relaxing before—

_Aroma..._

He nearly lost the cigarette as his jaw dropped, barely managed to snatch it up in his fingers quickly before he lost the whole thing. That was the key to the fight. Moult had been a _sniffer_, he said; his Devil Fruit power was based on his keen scent. Beating him wasn't a matter of outsmarting the man, or using random maneuvers. It was about blocking that sense, so that he couldn't use it at all.

Sanji could have kicked himself for not thinking of it earlier, but at least he had some sort of answer now. It was better than nothing, and hopefully might give him an edge when they assaulted the mountain tomorrow. Feeling a little better, he allowed himself to finish his smoke in silence, watching out into the red dyed world beyond.

It was close to the end of his shift when he actually felt it. Most of the four hours had been quiet and uneventful. There were no crickets to chirp, no birds to sing, no squirrels or deer or other animals to shuffle through the quarry at night. The only noise he could hear was the crash of the pink ocean waves in the distance, and the faintest whistle of a night breeze. So when he heard the light trickle of a dozen tiny pebbles rolling over stone and looked up, he was sure they were being watched. And the more he stared in that direction, straining every sense he could, the more he was sure there was somebody there.

He moved quickly. Withdrawing into their haven, he gently shook Usopp awake, covering his mouth when the sniper started to moan and grumble in surprise. Sanji gestured for him to be quiet with a finger to his lips, and then bent close enough to his ear to whisper without making too much noise.

"My shift's up," he said. "You were next."

"It's been four hours already?" Usopp muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, believe it or not. Near as I can guess anyway. The moon's shifted a little." The sniper nodded and began shuffling forward to take up the guard point, but paused when Sanji didn't take his own place to rest.

"Sanji...?"

"You keep watch," the cook said in answer. "I'm just going to go check for food and water real quick."

"Alone?" Usopp's eyes widened. "You can't go alone, Sanji! Wait until morning, we can get more of those nut things from that spiral forest, it's not too far from here—"

Sanji shook his head. "No, it's better to go now. It's dark out, so nobody'll see me moving around. I'll be fine."

"But they could be out there!"

"I doubt it," Sanji lied. "Not this late. They're probably resting too, they're just as human as we are."

Usopp looked anxious. "We should still go together. Hold on, and I'll wake Luffy up and we can all go—"

"No!"

Usopp jumped at Sanji's forceful answer, and looked both confused and nervous. "Why not? We should—"

"We've got a big battle coming up tomorrow," Sanji answered. "We both know it. Luffy's already poisoned or something, to judge by that bite. He needs all the rest he can get, because we'll definitely need him tomorrow. Don't wake him up."

"But Sanji—"

"Look, Usopp, I'll be _fine_," the cook reassured. "I'm just going to go scout, I'm not even bringing anything back. I just want to make sure we have enough food and water to last this thing out, and I want to make sure we can reach it safely too. That's my job as the cook, remember?"

Usopp still didn't look entirely convinced, so Sanji tried his last ploy. He could practically _feel_ whoever it was shifting around behind him some distance down the quarry, and if he waited too long whoever it was was going to get away and know their position. He couldn't risk that. "Look, I promise I'll only be gone for half an hour. And I'll only head that way," he added, pointing towards the spiral forest. "I'll be back in half an hour and I'll hopefully have something else we can use for food, alright?"

Usopp finally nodded, but curled up miserably on the lookout rock. He clearly was not happy with Sanji's decision, but couldn't fully argue against his points. "Okay. Fine. Half an hour. If you're not back by then, I don't care what you say—I'm waking Luffy up and we're gonna go looking for you."

"Deal. I'll be back." And before the sniper could argue further, Sanji turned around and trotted off in the direction of the forest.

He knew his decision had been right immediately. He could tell by now that there was only one person tailing him, but while they had initially seemed like they were going to leave, they latched onto his trail as soon as he separated from the other two. It was the oldest law for catching food; leave the bait, and the fish would come soon enough. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he continued on, pretending he had no idea he was being followed. He kept up his charade of a food and water search (though he really did hope to locate more, if he could) and eventually wound up at a small open area just at the edge of the spiral forest.

It was there that he turned around, faced the direction of his follower, and said cooly, "All right. Get out here."

He was unsurprised when Moult melded out of the red moon's dim light from between the scattered quarry-boulders, still chewing on his stupid toothpicks and still looking as though he would rather be taking a nap. The man blinked at him owlishly and then said calmly, "You're good. You knew since your friends, right?"

"Maybe." Sanji narrowed his eye at the tracker. "You're alone. Dangerous, don't you think?"

"I always scout alone," Moult answered with a yawn. Predictably, he lost his toothpick and replaced it with a new one from one of his pockets. "It's so hard to track humans with clunky, muscly people thudding around after you, see?"

Sanji could see his point—he knew how to be stealthy when he had to be, but he doubted Luffy or Zoro would have been able to follow him without tipping somebody off. Still, he wasn't sure what to think about the man bluntly admitting it. Either he was very stupid, or very confident his solo runs wouldn't be taken advantage of.

"If you're alone," Sanji pressed on, "You haven't reported back yet."

"No, I haven't," Moult agreed, watching the cook sleepily.

Sanji's eyes narrowed further. "Then you understand why I can't let you leave. You're the one that led the other hunters to us last night, aren't you? You think I'd let you lead those bastards back to my friends?"

"You can't force me to do or not do anything," Moult answered cooly. "You couldn't get past me last time. _Or_ stop me from leaving."

"That was last time," Sanji said. "You're not going anywhere this time."

"Prove it," the tracker said, and turned on his heel, starting to walk away.

"I will," Sanji answered with a snarl, and launched himself forward.

* * *

I end Sanji's sections like this a lot. Sigh. I'm so uncreative.

Nobody guessed Moult's inspiration, so here it is! In _The Wheel of Time _series, there's a man named Hurin who's a 'sniffer.' He can smell violence; the worse the violence, the more putrid the stench. He's used by his king as a bounty-hunter hound of sorts for murderers.

As always, should you choose to leave a review, please make it constructive! A little of everything helps a writer grow.

~VelkynKarma


	11. Nicotine Victory

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part eleven of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Music Box:** As if you even need to ask? _Fight Back Sanji and Usopp_, and _Sanji's in a Big Pinch!_, both from the _One Piece_ soundtrack.

* * *

"I'll smoke the last cigarette," he said to his wife. "Stupid of me, it was the one thing I forgot to bring back..."

~_The Birds_, Daphne du Maurier

* * *

Usopp stared out at the astral-world outside anxiously, fighting the urge to start pacing. He was sitting on the lookout rock where Sanji had left him, keeping watch as they had agreed to, but it just didn't feel right. Not with only Luffy snoring lightly behind him.

The truth was, he was worried about Sanji. That in itself felt strange, because he never really thought he would _have _to worry about Sanji before. Unlike Luffy or Zoro, their cook had enough brains to know how to get himself out of trouble, in addition to enough brawn to hold his own in a fight. More often than not it was Sanji looking out for _him._ And if anyone would be safe alone out there, it'd be their cook.

But something about the whole situation made him feel vaguely unsettled in the pit of his stomach. Sanji _was_ smart—smart enough to know it was foolhardy at this point in the game to wander off on his own. _Especially_ when they still expected him to be the next target. Usopp didn't know why Sanji had insisted so intently on leaving by himself, but he had a feeling nothing good was going to come of it.

Still, he had to trust his nakama, and Sanji had made more than a few good points. So he waited, ticking off the minutes as carefully as he could in his head (he lacked a watch, but could count to sixty repeatedly well enough). Twenty minutes had passed now, and Usopp was starting to get anxious. Sanji had promised to be back in no later than half an hour. Shouldn't he be back by now, with news or something?

Another three minutes passed, and Usopp finally caved. Taking one last glance around (still nothing, other than the same rocks and the same red moon) he crawled to the back of their small encampment and shook Luffy awake. His captain blinked lazily into consciousness and looked around with confusion before remembering where he was.

"Time to win?" He asked sleepily, flexing his hands as if readying for battle.

"Maybe. Not yet. I think something's wrong." Still looking anxious, Usopp explained his encounter with Sanji. "He just _left_," the sniper finished, wringing his hands. "I don't know, something doesn't feel right about this..."

"How long?" Luffy asked, looking more awake now.

"Eh?"

"How long since he left?" the captain repeated slowly.

"Well...it's only been about twenty five minutes now, but—"

"Then we'll wait," Luffy decided.

"_Wait?_ Luffy, he could be in trouble—"

"Sanji doesn't break his promises," the captain explained. "If he said he'll be back in half an hour, then he'll be back in half an hour. He promised." Yawning, he used the opportunity to slip one rubbery hand into Usopp's bag and snatch one of the fruit-nuts free, attempting to eat it whole.

"Not like that!" Usopp hissed in exasperation, and snatched it back quickly, cracking it for him the way he'd seen Sanji do it. His captain's confidence was catching though, and he supposed he _was_ being a little paranoid. Who wouldn't be, with this cruel game, after all? But Sanji still had five minutes, and it wasn't as though he'd ever lied to them before. Luffy was right. He didn't break his promises. He'd be back. They just had to wait.

* * *

Sanji expected his initial attacks to be avoided somehow, and true to form Moult dodged the first flying kicks with ease. That was fine. They had never been meant to hit anyway, though it would be nice if they did by accident. More importantly than a hit, though, was position. When Moult dodged, it allowed Sanji to slip around him and leap to the front, blocking his path.

There was a long moment in which nothing was said, and Moult stared at him with mild confusion, still chewing on his toothpick. Sanji could feel the light brush of the wind on his face, saw it ruffling Moult's hair as well, and smiled. Confusion and surprise were good, and it was only about to get better from there.

The tracker finally spoke up, blinking slowly. "You're tricky. Pretty good." Sanji merely shrugged, and the other man added, "But it still won't be enough to stop me, you know. I have to report back to the Boss, so I'm going to go report back to the Boss." And he took another step forward.

Now things would get difficult. Moult could smell intent, and action, so he had to make sure he disguised his real intentions with more predictable, obvious ones. He had already managed that before, with his improvised_ sniping shot_ earlier that day, so as Moult stepped forward he jumped and launched into a rapid series of kicks, each with enough force to break a man's skull.

Moult only snorted in disappointment and batted each attack aside, or dodged out of the way of the more forceful ones. When Sanji finally fell back, the tracker said, "That's it? That's your plan? I thought it would be more interesting..."

"You didn't move forward," Sanji pointed out. "I count that as a success."

"Not for long," the sniffer answered with a bored sigh, and began walking forward once again. Sanji launched himself forward a second time with another furious barrage, repelled just as before. When the dust cleared Moult was another foot closer to leaving and looked bored out of his mind.

Perfect.

Panting slightly, looking determined and smothering his smirk as best as he could, Sanji reached inside his coat pocket and removed the last of his cigarettes. He went through the routine with practiced ease; the roll felt comfortable between his lips, and he lit it without even glancing at the match, never letting his eyes stray from Moult. The smoke twisted behind his head and above, but he wasn't worried about the signal. It would fade alway long before it was of any use to the crap-Scorpions.

Moult eyed him critically. "Those are bad for you, you know."

"So sue me." Sanji shrugged. "They calm me down."

"I can tell. You smell more relaxed. But it still won't help you."

Sanji clenched his hands so hard it hurt, digging his fingernails in deep, just to keep from reacting to that sentence. He couldn't give it away, not now, not if this was going to work...

"I'm leaving now," Moult told him, and took another step.

This was the moment, Sanji knew. He had to be sure his plan would really work, and to do that he had to test it. If it failed, he would have to run, much as he hated it. Go back, warn Luffy and Usopp before Moult could report, and get ready for a full-on assault. But if it worked...

Moult took another step, and Sanji launched himself forward again. He began with another flurry of rapid kicks, which Moult blocked with absent minded boredom, just as he had the first two times. It was as if he wasn't even bothering to pay full attention any more, which worked perfectly with Sanji's plan. Altering his attack pattern slightly, the cook suddenly leapt into the air, twisted, and brought his leg smashing down with a roar of "_Épaule Shoot!"_

Moult blinked at the change in attack pattern, but slapped the offending foot away just as easily, clearly able to smell Sanji's intent to kill. That was fine. In fact it was more than fine. Sanji certainly hoped to kill the bastard with the move, but it wasn't his _only _reason for it. As Moult blocked his attack, he spun with the momentum and flipped forward even further, at the same time that he reached up to his mouth and removed the cigarette from his lips. The flip continued, the wind was with him, and Sanji abruptly exhaled—sending a lungful of secondhand cigarette smoke straight into Moult's face.

The man screamed in agony, and the wail sent a shiver up Sanji's spine; he hadn't realized such a noise could come from the normally droopy, uncaring man. Moult was clawing at his face now, looked as though he wanted to scratch his nose clean off, and his eyes were squeezed shut.

Sanji didn't hesitate. He landed poorly from the forward flip, but rolled to his feet immediately and spun out, connecting with a series of kicks and finishing with a _collier. _The enemy tracker was sent flying, smashing into one of the younger spiral trees with a groan of pain.

The cook shot forward to press his attack, but Moult recovered himself quickly. His eyes were still watering and he shook his head rapidly, as though trying to clear his senses, but he managed to block three of the five kicks Sanji swung his way. Sanji made careful note of it; while Moult had blocked, the blocks were less precise and effective, still allowing the cook to land glancing blows instead of missing outright.

Still, Moult was recovering quickly now, as the smoke dissipated. His blocks became rapidly less human and more precise as the seconds went by, and within moments he was just the same as before, albeit a bit more battered. Sanji made a mental note of that as well: he had less than a thirty-second window in which to attack before the man was back to his perfect defense.

"You...you son of a bitch," Moult scowled at him, and now his lazy look was gone. "That _burned."_

Sanji shrugged, flicked the ash from his cigarette. "People always told me secondhand smoke was bad for others, but right about now I'm glad for it. Guess being a sniffer has its disadvantages, huh?"

Moult looked furious. And then, much to Sanji's surprise, the man darted forward and launched a series of rapid punches and kicks himself.

It seemed being a sniffer was just as useful for attacking as defending. The man's attacks themselves were weak by comparison to most members of the Strawhats' crew, but a vast number of small attacks added up to just as much damage as two or three large ones, and Moult's ability to predict enemy moves meant he always knew where to throw his hands and feet. Sanji grunted as he was hit again and again, countering as best as he could with his own blocks and attacks, which were quickly deflected. He had to cut off Moult's ability to smell again, but the man was clever. He wasn't letting Sanji get close enough to send another breath of smoke into his face.

But Sanji was no fool, and had already thought through that particular problem. As Moult lashed out with another attack, Sanji dodged sideways, shifted backwards, and abruptly bolted.

"Running away?" Moult shrieked, now clearly angry. But he paused as Sanji ran in a half circle around the small opening they were fighting in, his back to the trees, and stopped.

"Not hardly," Sanji answered in response, and then inhaled deeply. The cigarette came away between his fingers, and the cook darted forward suddenly, breathing out another lungful of nicotine fumes. The smoke was carried downwind quickly to the stunned sniffer, and Moult screamed again as the toxic aroma hit his nostrils, stumbling backwards in pain.

Sanji was on him in seconds, releasing some of his most powerful kicks at his foe in rapid succession. Normally he wouldn't have unloaded quite so much against a clearly disarmed opponent. He did fight with some degree of honor, after all, and wouldn't destroy the reputation of the Black Leg so foolishly. But his nakama were on the line, and so the situation was completely different here. By unleashing everything he had on this man whenever he could, he was one step closer to rescuing Nami-san, Robin-chan, Chopper, and Zoro.

So he lashed out with all his strength, ignored the bruises and cuts received from Moult as he pounded with all his fury and focus. And when the man had finally managed to recover, Sanji was grimly satisfied to see him bleeding heavily and favoring one leg.

Moult eyed him with murder in his eyes. "That thing won't last forever, you know," he snarled at the cook, eyeing the cigarette once again between Sanji's lips with loathing.

"That's fine," Sanji answered cooly. "I don't need forever to kill you, anyway."

The taunt worked well, and Moult threw himself forward with a furious scream. Sanji noted that the more the man was injured, the more aggressive he became. His control was starting to slacken, though it wasn't necessarily a good thing. He was certainly easier to bait now, Sanji noted, as he exhaled another lungful into the shrieking sniffer's face. But his attacks hurt more as he put more frenzied power behind them, and he was still viciously accurate, even without sniffing out Sanji's next moves. In the five seconds it had taken for him to incapacitate Moult's sense of smell again, the man had launched a brutal kick to his shoulder, and Sanji's left arm hung limp now.

Not that it mattered. A little injury was nothing, as long as he could beat this guy. So the handstands were out; that still left plenty in his arsenal. And as long as he stayed upwind of Moult in the fight, he'd be able to use his cigarette until it burnt down to the filter. He had to have beaten the guy by then, but it would be fine. He was sure he could manage.

The fight felt like it went on for a while, or at least Sanji thought it did. His only unit of measure was the cigarette instrumental to his combat strategy. He was being very careful with it, trying to make it last as long as possible. But it was already half gone, making him guess they had been fighting non-stop for at least five minutes. Five minutes didn't sound like a good deal of time, but when it consisted entirely of rapid-fire punches and kicks, blocks and dodges, it stretched on forever. And something nagged at the back of his mind, too, something about time. The fight, combined with all the time it had taken to lead Moult out here, had taken up at least twenty minutes, maybe more. Something screamed at him that he had to finish fast, and get back to the others.

But in his combat haze he couldn't quite remember why, and pushed it to the back of his mind. Instead, he focused hard on the fight, tracking the wind carefully and being sure to keep it always at his back. It moved a few times, but he was able to recover appropriately, still sending the smoke in Moult's direction. When the man tried to skirt around him to take the upwind position, Sanji would press him hard to drive him back, taking advantage of the man's weakening nose and lack of predicting ability to do so. He had Moult on the defensive now, really and truly. He could win.

But the man was becoming even more aggressive as well, and with his loss of Devil Fruit sniffer predictions he was turning to other tactics. Sanji noticed grimly that while the man's attacks seemed to be everywhere, Moult was specifically targeting his head and hands—his dangling left arm was clear proof of that. Sanji had a feeling he knew what the man was up to. He already couldn't use his left hand to remove his cigarette, in order to breathe out his smoke, and had to rely on his right arm alone. If that was broken too, or if the man somehow managed to break his jaw so that he couldn't hold the cigarette in his mouth anymore, he'd be shit out of luck with his aroma counter-strategy. He'd already blocked a number of attempted strikes on his right arm, and Moult had narrowly missed kicking his head in at least three times.

He couldn't afford to lose that cigarette. Contrary to everything anyone had ever told him about them, and in an ironic twist of fate, that lone, half-smoked roll of tobacco was the only thing standing between himself and certain death.

But there was an exchange, a price Moult paid for his new, confrontational tactics. The man was clearly pouring on the pain now, trying to do as much damage as he could as often as he could in a violent offensive, but his defense—once so perfect—was starting to develop cracks. Sanji made note of them, aimed when he could for Moult's unprotected chest, legs, arms, with unhesitating surety. And whenever Moult scrabbled backwards from the latest dose of nicotine, screeching in pain and clawing at his face, Sanji was on him, mercilessly delivering every ounce of strength he had to bring the man down.

And then he saw it. It was approximately ten seconds after he had given the enemy tracker another dose of cigarette smoke, and the man was going berserk with frustration and pain. He reeled back, dropping his hands for a fraction of a second, and in that moment Sanji saw it clearly—a perfect path to the man's head, and the final blow. If he could connect now, the man was as good as dead. He had taken too much damage from Sanji to be able to recover.

The time for the final strike was now, and Sanji didn't hesitate. He launched himself into the air as Moult wrenched his eyes open, finally saw his mistake. The cook spun quickly, building momentum for a killing blow. He didn't often descend to Red Leg from Black Leg; that had been crap-geezer's thing, and Sanji had never really had any desire to kill anyone, only to protect himself, his friends, and their goals. Luffy didn't like it anyway, and he _was _the captain. But he could see, in his mind's eye, each of those four lifeless bodies that they had been forced to leave behind, and it was all the inspiration he needed.

Red-Leg Sanji descended, every ounce of power he had left in his final attack, and roared, "_Concassé: Final Crush!_"

It connected solidly, just as he knew it would. His heel came smashing down on Moult's head with all the force he could muster, and even through his dress shoes he felt the man's skull shattering underfoot, caving from the impact. The man didn't even scream; he wouldn't have had time to. The deathblow Sanji delivered was near instantaneous, just as powerful as the crap-geezer's attacks had been back in the day.

He felt all his anger, all his fury melt away in the moment of blank, cold satisfaction as he finished the deed. One more down, one step closer. He hadn't expected himself to feel quite so _empty _when he killed, figured it would affect him more. But every time even the slightest tendril of shock crept into his mind, the image of the stunned Nami-san in his arms, or the shuddering Robin-chan, the staring, unseeing Chopper, or Zoro sleeping in that pool of blood would chase it away with unbelievable strength.

It all flew through his head, cycled, melded, spun, and worked itself out, over and over again, in a matter of seconds. He came to terms almost immediately, was satisfied that he had helped get them one step closer to rescuing their nakama...and that was when he saw it.

Moult had not been idle. He had seen Sanji leap into the air, and even without his sniffing abilities it was probably easy to predict what the cook would do next. Even as Sanji's leg came down for the final assault, the tracker kicked high, aiming just as he always had for Sanji's face.

And even dead, the momentum still kept. Sanji could see the boot swinging up now, impossibly fast, and yet ridiculously slow at the same time. There was no way to dodge, not in midair, not at this juncture. Worse, Sanji's death kick had forced the blow a little lower, and now it was aiming straight for his vulnerable neck.

There was too much brute force behind that kick. Sanji had been fighting for years, and he could tell that immediately. Too much force, no way to dodge, targeting an incredibly vulnerable and weak place on the human body. He was as good as dead.

He processed it all in less than two seconds, and then the final attack hit. He felt disappointed, on a very distant level, that he wouldn't be helping further; he hadn't meant to leave quite this early. He felt the cigarette slip from his lips, heard something very close grate and snap with a spine-chilling disgustingness, and suddenly the world was leaving him at an alarming rate, faster than he could keep up with.

_Shit—_

* * *

"Luffy," Usopp said, anxious. "It's been thirty-one minutes, and he's still not back. Do you think something's wrong?"

The captain looked up from where he had been inspecting his hat (after all the running around in this strange atmosphere, the edges were getting a little frayed). He seemed puzzled. "Thirty one?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I've been counting."

"But he promised he'd be back in half an hour," Luffy said. "He should be there." And he bounced to the front of their shelter, stuffing the hat back on his head with a note of finality.

"That's what I'm saying, Luffy. I don't see him. He _should _have been back by now." Usopp pointed in the direction Sanji had taken and added, "I made a deal with him that we'd start looking in half an hour if he didn't come back. He seemed to think he would, but..."

Luffy stood quietly, watching out into the yellow stone quarry by the light of the blood red moon. He shaded his eyes with one hand and did a quick sweep, but like Usopp he saw no movement, no indication that their cook was returning to them.

"You made a deal?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we did..."

"Alright," Luffy said, suddenly very serious, and Usopp didn't have to look that closely to see the quickly covered up flash of concern that raced through the captain's eyes. "Let's go look for him." And, scooping up Chopper's backpack once more, he strode forward in the completely wrong direction. It took Usopp a few seconds to grab his own bag and snatch Luffy's wrist to redirect him, but then they were off, heading down the quarry while keeping a wary eye out for enemies.

They also kept a wary eye out for Sanji, who could probably blend into some of the darker shadows quite well in his black suit pants and dark dress shirt. Usopp wasn't entirely sure why Sanji would want to hide from _them, _but his mind worked quickly, and he had fabricated a number of excuses for the cook in seconds. Maybe he had walked really far, and was just taking a break in the corner. Maybe he was going to jump out an surprise them. Maybe he had found some cave-mushrooms hidden in one of the deeper spots of the quarry and was doing his cook-thing and collecting them (Usopp wasn't partial to mushrooms, but he'd take any excuse at this point).

He knew those excuses were fairly weak, but as they walked on he found himself becoming more and more worried. All lying aside, he _had _hoped they would meet Sanji on the way back. The cook had probably only lost track of time, and just been late by a few minutes, even though he'd never known Sanji to be late before. They would probably walk right past each other, and then they could meet up and exchange news. There was no danger involved, not here.

But they walked on for nearly ten minutes, and as they began scrabbling out of the quarry to the wide stretch of packed dirt between the stone and the strange spiral trees, Usopp got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. More than forty minutes since Sanji had walked off, and they hadn't even met him halfway. He wasn't one to break his promises, and he wouldn't play tricks on them in a situation like this, not with four of their nakama d...dead. Something had to be wrong. Luffy seemed to think so as well, because he suddenly picked up the pace, pushing forward even faster than before with that blank, empty expression on his face again.

They ran on now for another five minutes, and now Usopp could see the edges of the great spiral trees in the distance, looming above them. Something about those trees felt forbidding, dangerous, and he found himself not wanting to approach them. Goosebumps rising on his arms now, he swept the area quickly, hoping against hope he wouldn't spot any of the three remaining Scorpion hunters.

That was when he saw the strange, huddled shape on the ground, just before the trees.

Before he knew what he was doing, Usopp had grabbed his captain's wrist and hissed, "Luffy! Get down!" He hurled himself flat to the ground as well, hoping the odd shape—definitely a person, it had to be!—hadn't seen him. Luffy kept running out of reflex and stretched, but his arm snapped back as he spun around quickly and threw himself down next to Usopp, watching him curiously.

Now satisfied that they were at least somewhat hidden, Usopp tried to figure out exactly which Scorpion Hunter they were dealing with. The huddled shape was too difficult to make out by the red moon with his naked eye, so he hitched his goggles down and adjusted the lenses quickly.

And froze.

That wasn't one crouching mass...it was _two _forms, jumbled together. He couldn't see the faces, but he was definitely counting more than one pair of human legs in that shadowy mess, and he didn't think there were any other Devil Fruits besides Robin's that let you sprout extra limbs.

And then he saw the faint, tiny wisp of white smoke a few paces from the mass, and suddenly he was up and running forward as fast as his legs would carry him, with Luffy calling out confusedly behind him. All he could manage to yell was "_Sanji!_" and then Luffy was racing past him at breakneck speed, determination and worry in his eyes.

He reached the confusing mass after Luffy did, just in time to see his captain pulling it apart. The mass resolved itself into two bodies more clearly now, a tangle of limbs with one laying face down half across the other. Luffy was carefully pulling the topmost body free from the tangle, and when he finally managed he rolled the man over with surprising care.

It was Sanji. For the briefest of moments, Usopp felt a surge of hope as he looked down at their cook. The man was bruised and bleeding from a few minor cuts here and there, but lacked the gaping wounds their other nakama had received. Yet his eye was half-lidded and staring blankly, not flickering with recognition. And Usopp was pretty damn sure necks weren't supposed to bend like that, not unless you were Luffy.

Panicked now, Usopp dived forward and snatched one of the cook's wrists, pressing fingers to it carefully. But no matter how long he waited he found no tell-tale life beat at his fingertips, and he could see plain as day that Sanji wasn't breathing.

"D...damnit," the sniper choked. "I knew I shouldn't have let him go...what was I thinking...damn it!" A wash of emotions rushed over him, and he went to his feet quickly, began pacing restlessly. It brought him closer to the wispy trail of smoke, and he noted with surprise that it was the stub of one of Sanji's cigarettes, still burning feebly as it neared its end. That only made Usopp feel worse. If the thing was still burning, Sanji had to have lit it _recently_...meaning they had missed saving him by minutes. He ground it out furiously.

Luffy's head was down now, and Usopp couldn't see his eyes; the brim of his hat cast a dark shadow that was impossible to see through in this gloom. He was sitting cross-legged next to Sanji's body, and as Usopp watched his captain reached out and quietly closed Sanji's eyes, even brushing the dead man's hair back into place over his left when he was finished. And then very quietly, so low Usopp almost didn't hear it, he said, "Thanks for helping us out, Sanji. I don't know if you can hear me, but I promise I'll get you back."

"Helping us out?" Usopp asked, bewildered. And then he looked over at the other body, the one he had been ignoring up until now, and stared. It was Moult, the tracker for the Scorpion Hunters...or what was left of him. Usopp had to identify the man by his clothing, because his head was almost entirely caved in, a mass of gore that made the sniper want to be sick. Stunned, Usopp's eyes flew to Sanji's feet, and he was unsurprised to find one leg drenched in the same disgusting stuff. He suddenly had a very, _very _clear idea where Sanji's mentor had earned the term _Red Leg._

But if Sanji had killed Moult, then that meant... "There's only two left," Usopp said out loud. "Sasori and Kawazu...the leader and his second in command."

Luffy nodded in agreement. "Two left," he said, and his voice had that low, dangerous tone he took just before he was about to unleash all his fury on an opponent. "I don't like this game, Usopp. It isn't a game. It's bad. It tears nakama apart. This isn't fun at all."

"I know, Luffy," Usopp said tiredly. "But there's nothing we can do about it—"

"No. I can finish it," Luffy growled, suddenly rising to his feet. He lifted Sanji with him—the cook's head flopped even more unnaturally on his broken neck, making Usopp shudder—and carried him over to one of the spiral trees, laying him gently at its base. Then he turned, looked Usopp square in the eye, and said, "They're at the mountain, right? Let's go."

"What...now? You want to find them _now_?" Usopp asked, panic in his voice. "Luffy, it's still dark out, and we don't even know that they're there! And even if they are, we think it's their stronghold, remember? We'd be walking right into a trap—"

"Usopp." The sniper cut himself off. Luffy was still meeting him gaze for gaze, and while he looked determined, terrifying even, he felt a strange sense of safety near his captain. He nodded slowly, and Luffy continued. "I couldn't protect the rest of my nakama. They've all been hurt in this fake game. But I'm going to get them back. We're going to win, and we'll leave that stupid island and never go back. And I promise you, I'll protect you with my life, Usopp."

And the sniper knew, without question, without hesitation, that Luffy meant it, every word of it. His captain would do everything in his considerable power to protect his crew, both living and dead. Because it was _Luffy,_ and he might not have been the smartest man in the world, but he always knew what to do for his friends, and would give everything he had to look out for them all.

It was a strangely comforting thought, and Usopp found himself nodding. Next to that, it was all he could do. He didn't have nearly as much to offer as Luffy did, but he'd still give it willingly, because he loved his nakama too and didn't want to see them hurt anymore, and because Luffy was doing the same for him without hesitation even now.

"All right," Usopp said, voice grim but determined. "Then let's go finish this."

* * *

Yeah so...I'm just...going to sidle on over this way before a horde of crazed Sanji-fans move in to kill _me..._

Also, if you happen to use OneManga for your manga-reading needs, heads up! The site is getting completely shut down next week (check the main page for news). Download what you can, because One Piece will be hella expensive to legally purchase...

You know the drill guys. Reviews with SUBSTANCE. I like those. :D

~VelkynKarma


	12. Warrior

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part twelve of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer: **I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece _or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Note: **This is officially my most reviewed fic. Did I ever tell you I love you all? No really, I do!

* * *

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of readiness to die."

~G.K. Chesterton

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It took them more than an hour to get near the mountain from Sanji's clearing. Usopp was determined to see this finished, just like his captain beside him, but that didn't mean that they should be reckless trying it. So the sniper insisted they move carefully, darting from hiding place to hiding place to lower their chances of being spotted. Luffy had wanted to charge straight in, but Usopp had managed to convince him otherwise after grimly pointing out that it had already failed them multiple times in this game (Nami and Chopper specifically came to mind). After that Luffy cooled his head, and though he was obviously impatient to finish the battle game he agreed to go slow and followed Usopp's lead.

So they darted here and there, hiding in the shadows and other places where the blood-red moon couldn't reach. It was slow going, and fairly quiet. Other than the scuffle of pebbles as they crept from one sheltered location to the next, and the occasional rush of the wind, there was nothing. They had agreed not to speak much either, and only in whispers when they had to, to reduce the chances of their being found.

But slow though it was, they were making progress. Usopp guessed it was somewhere between two-thirty and three in the morning by the time they stood at the foot of the mountain, concealed by a pair of large yellow boulders. The structure was positively massive, stretching up so high the red moon seemed to perch atop the distant peak. This close up, he could tell that it too was an impossible structure; it resembled a volcano, in that he could see clear flows of stone marking the mountain's buildup, but the stone seemed to flow _up_, not down. He didn't really know why he was surprised at this point. After a pink ocean and trees that grew down into the ground, he supposed anything was theoretically possible in this astral-world.

Even now, the sniper insisted on caution. They hadn't seen either Sasori or Kawazu, nor had they spotted any signs of the remaining two Scorpion Hunters. That meant they were probably _on_ the mountain somewhere, and likely at the very top. At the mountain's peak, one man would be able to see down on all their immediate surroundings, and put a quick halt to anyone trying to assault them uphill. It would be easy to roll a boulder down and crush their opponents before they could even reach the summit. Not that boulders would affect Luffy, but _Usopp _would definitely be dead pretty fast. And Luffy would still be held up in the tangle long enough for the two bounty hunters to prepare for him.

So the sniper insisted they circle the mountain instead, looking for some sort of path up where they could remain hidden. Luffy's eyes were narrowed dangerously, and he never took his gaze from the summit, but he nodded in reluctant agreement once Usopp explained the threat.

Circling took another long stretch of time, and Usopp figured they were pushing four in the morning before he finally called a halt. He felt exhausted, but at least he'd gotten some rest while Sanji was on watch. Their cook hadn't gotten any rest at all, and Usopp wondered briefly if Sanji would still be alive if he'd been in better condition while fighting...

The sniper shook his head firmly. It wouldn't do to dwell on the past, not now. If he wanted to get Sanji and all of the others back from their astral-grave prison, then they needed to finish this battle now. And that meant getting to the top of the mountain without dying in the process, and beating whoever might be at the top—if anyone even was.

Usopp had been searching hard, but he hadn't seen any way to sneak up the mountain without being spotted. There were boulders resting rather precariously on the up-stone (as he had taken to calling it) but they were too few and far between, and they would inevitably be spotted while trying to dash between them. There were trees, but they were scruffier, thin versions of the spiral trees they had first encountered, and would provide no shelter at all. Which meant they had to find another route up the mountain.

His eyes absently floated to the stream they had stopped by to quench their thirst. This water was also orange, and it also flowed_ uphill_ towards the top of the mountain, much like the ocean current had at Reverse Mountain so long ago and the up-stone did now. His gaze traveled up the little stream's path, which meandered its way up the side of the mountain and disappeared near the top between a pair of jutting rocks that almost resembled giant sword hilts. Not that anybody would be able to use them.

But somebody _could_ grab them...

"Luffy," he hissed, gesturing for the rubber-man to come closer. "I think I have a plan."

His captain finally broke his gaze from the top of the mountain, turned to look at his final nakama. "Yeah?"

"We need to take away their advantage," Usopp explained. "The key to the mountain is that it's up high. So you could keep people from getting up after you, or even just have time to get ready for them since they'll be exhausted when they reach the top and you won't. But if we get up there _fast_, they won't have time for that, and we'll be just as ready as they are. See?"

"Okay," Luffy answered with a quick nod.

"And if we can surprise them, that's even better. So...see those rocks?" And he pointed out the two sword-hilt stones quietly standing guard over the little stream.

"Yeah."

"If you sling us up using those, we'll be able to get above them. They won't expect it and we'll have time to attack them before _they_ can recover. Can you grab them?"

"I can get them," Luffy answered with grim determination. "Hold on."

Usopp checked his bag one last time and then threw his arms around Luffy's shoulders quickly. The rubber-man threw his arms back and shot them forward again with a sharp _"Gomu-Gomu no Rocket!"_ His fingers wrapped around one corner of each of the sword hilts, and suddenly they resembled a giant slingshot, with Luffy as the sling itself.

Before Usopp had time to contemplate the irony of that further (or file that away for an excellent story in the future) Luffy lifted his feet and they were off at blinding speed. It was all that Usopp could do to hold on tight, digging his fingers deeply into Luffy's red vest as he struggled to stay put. No matter how many times Luffy slung himself and his crew around like that, and no matter how ready the sniper thought he was for it, it always came as a thoroughly terrifying shock to find oneself catapulted through the air at speeds no human should ever reach.

They overshot, as Luffy nearly always did, but Usopp had thankfully factored that into their assault and chose the sling-point accordingly. As they rose into the air over the top of the mountain, the sniper looked down and took stock of their situation.

He had to admit, despite himself, that the scene was beautiful. There was a tiny little valley exactly at the top of the mountain, where lavender grass gently dusted the yellowish stone. More spiral trees, these ones thicker and sturdier than their brethren on the mountainside, dotted the area. And the stream they had used as their guiding point wasn't the only one on the mountain; dozens of other little orange streams came together into one much larger pool, perfectly surrounded by the spiral trees. This in turn fed into a waterfall, which, much like the streams, defied gravity. The water's cascade fell straight _up_ into the air, but the droplets of water didn't fall down again. Rather, they dissipated into the air and seemed to slowly form clouds, which drifted away when they became large enough. _Nami would have had a field day studying this, if she were still alive,_ Usopp thought.

The beautiful landscape was marred only by the pair of furious, upturned faces that looked their way. Sasori and Kawazu both stood there near the pool, watching the Strawhats with identical expressions of shock, confusion and anger. Clearly, just as Usopp predicted, they hadn't planned on Luffy being able to stretch as far as he could, and weren't happy with falling for the same trick twice.

Both were running for their landing point now, drawing weapons as they did, but Usopp would have none of that. He wrapped his legs around Luffy's torso quickly to keep his grip, and then pulled his slingshot free. Aiming while moving was tricky, but he'd done it before, and with a roar of _"Killer Exploding Stars!"_ he'd sent two of the bursting pellets straight into the enemies' faces.

Predictably, both reeled back in surprise and pain, clutching at their wounded faces while dropping or re-sheathing their weaponry. Usopp grinned, but it faded fast when he heard Luffy yell, practically in his ear, _"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"_ Then his captain's arms were whirling in a rapid-fire blur as they fired a number of successive punches straight down at their enemies, and it was all Usopp could do to hold on tight until the move ended. He could feel the _woosh_ of the attacks' recoils bare millimeters from his ears and decided he never wanted to see Luffy's attacks from the captain's own vantage point ever again.

Then it was over, and Luffy landed down next to the pool with a staggering _thud_. Usopp fell off and landed on his backside before he could gather his legs underneath him, but scrambled to his feet hastily, wincing slightly as his injured foot throbbed. Luffy was standing just in front of him, feet planted wide in a powerful stance, fists at the ready.

"Stay behind me," the captain ordered. "I'll protect you with my life. I promised."

Usopp nodded and prepared to support Luffy with shots over his shoulders, then looked across at their enemies. Both were charging across at them now with weapons re-drawn, having recovered from both the stars and Luffy's Gatling Gun. Sasori carried his scimitar and knife again, just as he had when he fought Zoro. He was a little bruised, and the rag that had been tied over his dreadlocks had been burned away by the exploding star, but he seemed mostly unharmed. Kawazu had his single hooksword at the ready, but the man was staggering as he moved and had already fallen behind his leader. What was more, both his hand and his chest were heavily bandaged, and were already being stained red once more. His wounds had probably opened again in the assault.

Luffy didn't hesitate. He released a _Gomu Gomu no Muchi_ with a roar, his foot arcing outwards in a furious leg sweep. Sasori and Kawazu both leapt into the air, jumping the rubber limb like they were skipping rope. Still without pause, Luffy snapped his leg back and launched a _Pistol_ at the currently airborne Sasori. Usopp, wanting to be of help in some way, shot a Lead Star at Kawazu so that Luffy could focus on his own opponent.

Unfortunately, he hadn't planned for Kawazu's tenacity. The man took the shot in the shoulder and hit the ground with a heavy_ thud_, but immediately kicked to his feet and charged—straight at the sniper.

Usopp yelped in panic before he could smother the sound and stepped back, fumbling for another star. Luffy was faster, however. He had aimed a second_ Gomu Gomu no Pistol_ for Sasori (the first one had barely missed), but at Usopp's cry he pulled back and swung the attack haphazardly for Kawazu instead. This turned his arm into more of a flail than a gunshot, and with the abrupt switch couldn't be aimed that well. His fist smashed into the dirt between Kawazu and Usopp, but it had the desired effect: the second in command, eyes wide, screeched to a halt and stumbled back several paces.

Luffy's arm snapped back quickly, but now he had a problem on his left. Sasori had used the break in concentration to rush forward, slashing his scimitar and knife—both unquestionably poisoned—at the rubber-man. Luffy jumped back, barely dodging the sword tip by a hair's breadth. Then, before Usopp could so much as let out another strangled protest, his captain collared him with one hand, stretched his other out to a spiral tree on the far side of the little valley, and rocketed them over to it quickly, putting distance between them and their opponents.

"That was too close," Usopp gasped, pressing a hand to his heart. "T-thanks, Luffy..."

His captain only nodded, eyes narrowed as he eyed their opponents. Sasori and Kawazu had already turned and were charging towards them again, and Luffy snapped his fist forward with a cry of, _"Gomu Gomu no Shotgun!"_ Once again, he aimed for Sasori.

Two of the shotgun-pistol attacks hit before Sasori could react, bringing his scimitar swinging down in an angry arc towards Luffy's vulnerable limb. The rubber man retracted his attack early and recoiled his hand for another flying punch, but the two had closed the gap by then. Once again, Kawazu launched himself furiously at Usopp, and once again Luffy abruptly shifted his attack from Sasori to Kawazu to play interference. This time it cost him, and he received a vicious slash on his bandaged arm from the hooksword for the trouble. Before the Scorpions could press their attack further, however, Luffy once again snatched Usopp and rocketed them to the far side of the valley, back where they had first landed.

Luffy launched another series of rubber attacks this time, and Usopp began to understand their disadvantage in this battle. His captain just simply wasn't able to go all-out like he usually did in their battles. Some of his most powerful attacks, such as the _Gatling Gun_, couldn't be used when their enemies had poisoned weapons at the ready; each of his attacks had to be aimed with deadly accuracy, or Luffy would risk the toxins and a quick death. Nor, Usopp knew grimly, was Luffy made to be a defensive fighter. Luffy could be cunning in battle, and it wasn't as though he relied on brute force alone to bull his way through. But he could be overbearingly powerful, necessarily risky, and amazingly enduring, and that was often what won him his fights. He wouldn't win like this, not when he was reigning in his own strength to make sure Usopp wasn't hurt, and not when he was forced to constantly divide his power between two strong, separate attackers.

In short, it was exactly the same problem as last time, when Luffy had fought against Kawazu and Doku Spinifer, the enemy doctor. One on one, he could take his own risks and put all his focus into beating either of the opponents, but as it stood their defenses would eventually crack away and both of them would perish.

Usopp had to help. _Needed_ to help, if he ever wanted to see his nakama again. He had a duty to his friends, and to his captain. Luffy didn't need them often—more than anything else, he was usually the one there for_ them_, always and without hesitation. But this was different, and if he didn't break away now, keep at least one of those men away from Luffy, then his captain would stay chained to him in a desperate attempt to protect his last crew mate. He wouldn't be happy with Usopp's decision, but...but he had to do it. For everyone.

So as Luffy's arms snapped back after his latest attack, and he spread them wide in a defensive stance, Usopp took a deep breath and ducked underneath them. Luffy yelled his name in surprise, and—was that a touch of panic in that voice? No, it couldn't be. This was_ Luffy_ they were talking about after all. He did his best to ignore it, lifted his slingshot, and charged straight at Kawazu, screaming what he hoped was a battle cry but was more likely a noise of pure terror.

Luffy was yelling in fury behind him; out of the corner of his eye, Usopp could see that Sasori had assaulted him directly, providing enough of a distraction for his captain. Good. That would make it easier to implement his plan...he hoped, anyway.

Kawazu was getting closer now, and there was a maniacal look on his face as he approached. Clearly, he was none too pleased about his target from the last battle escaping. His shirt was open wide, ends flapping, exposing the red-dyed bandages wrapped tightly across his chest.

_"Thanks, Zoro,"_ Usopp whispered under his breath, as he loaded his final pellet. _"For setting this up for me, couldn't have done it otherwise..."_ And at the top of his voice, he screamed, "Killer Flame Star!" and fired.

The pellet connected solidly with Kawazu's chest, and the man screamed as his wound was literally set afire. The bandages burned hotly, and Kawazu halted his swing to rip them off quickly, shrieking.

"You filthy little worm," the second snarled. "You think _that's_ enough to kill me?"

In truth, Usopp was hardly surprised to find the man still standing, even after a direct attack to his most prominent wound. He had observed it before, and he would again: the man was just as tenacious as Zoro, and it would take more than one or two hits to bring him down. Usopp knew it well, and had never expected the star to work to begin with. That was only the setup.

Tossing aside his slingshot—he was too close to use it now, and it wouldn't do him any good anymore, anyway—Usopp reached into his bag instead. His hands grasped the smooth surface of a Skypiean shell, and he pulled his Impact Dial free.

"No," Usopp answered grimly. "But this might."

"That stupid shield-shell won't help you either," Kawazu hissed, raising the hooksword for another swing. But the man didn't know the other properties of the Impact Dial, and he had underestimated Usopp's speed, even with a bad foot. Forcing a final burst of agility, Usopp ducked within Kawazu's sword range, lifted the Dial in his right hand, and jammed it straight into the man's unprotected, reopened chest wound.

The cruel force of four hooksword killing blows rushed out in a torrent, smashing into the Scorpion second's wound with point-blank accuracy. Usopp felt the jarring impact all the way up his arm to his shoulder as well, and it was only by clenching his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt that he was able to keep from screaming out loud. But it was necessary, the only way to win, and he was a Brave Warrior of the Sea. If Sanji could die alone without complaint, if Robin could go smiling, if Zoro could be so confident as he left, then damn it all, he, the Brave Captain Usopp, could take a little pain for the sake of his nakama, too!

And the move definitely had its intended effect. Kawazu screamed, but this wasn't his usual roar of pain; this was eerie, almost ethereal, as though it transcended the living world to the afterlife. His fist, still holding his hooksword, came smashing down out of reflex, and Usopp felt his left shoulder seemed to light on fire as the wicked spike on the sword's hilt dug in deeply, heard something crack. And then there was blood everywhere, as the second's chest seemed to burst in on itself.

The man collapsed back onto the lavender grass and yellow stone, still wailing, clutching at his torn apart chest as though he could somehow stop the bleeding. But there was no way to block up that hole, not now, probably not even with a doctor. The damage likely wouldn't have been nearly so bad, if the wound hadn't already been in place. But with that deep gash, using the Impact Dial had been like setting dynamite in the cracks of a cave wall. The man wasn't dead quite yet, but he would bleed out in a matter of minutes, and there was no way he was getting up again, so it was as good as a victory.

Usopp staggered back as well, both of his arms dangling uselessly at his sides, and the Impact Dial dropped from his limp fingers to the ground. He was in so much pain, and it hurt so badly to even _move._ How did Luffy and Zoro and Sanji even stand this? And worse was the...the _mess_ laying there on the ground, still scrabbling weakly, crying out with indecipherable screeches of pain. Had he really been capable of doing _that?_

The shaking started before he could even think about it. But this time it was the rush of raw terror at himself mixing with the heart-pounding relief that he'd survived, and not only lived, but contributed. He had felt guilty throughout this entire game for being the cause of it all, forcing his nakama through so much pain, while being so utterly useless throughout it. But he'd done it. He'd helped bring one of the men down, gotten them that much closer to rescuing the others. Now all he had to do was just help Luffy bring down the final one, and—

_"Usopp!"_

Still staggering, arms flopping uselessly, Usopp nevertheless managed to whirl around and look for Luffy and their final opponent. He was stunned at what he saw. Luffy looked relatively unharmed, and at the very least wasn't bleeding from any new wounds since Kawazu's slash at his arm. But his hat had been pinned to one of the spiral trees with the point of Sasori's dagger, flattening the straw and cutting several strands clean apart. Luffy's neck was stretched back at a bizarre angle, and Usopp noted after a moment that it had somehow become entangled with the string that normally held it to his neck if he wasn't wearing it.

Luffy was scrabbling frantically at the string and hat to detangle himself from it, or maybe release the hat from the knife that had caught it. Usopp began to stagger forward, thinking to help, when he realized Luffy's eyes were wide in horror, and he was yelling, "USOPP, _RUN! RUN NOW!"_

Usopp heard the crack of a whip, and his eyes fell on the knife. If that wasn't in Sasori's hand, then his other infamous weapon, the whip, had to be. Panicking himself now, he tried to run forward as best as his floppy limbs and bleeding foot allowed. At the same time, Luffy finally managed to snap his head free—the straw hat remained pinned to the spiral tree—and launched himself wildly, desperately, in Sasori's direction.

He was too late. Usopp felt, with a bewildering familiarity, something coil snugly around his neck. It was tight enough to make him choke, and he coughed, jerking forward with the motion, trying to force his limp hands up free himself. In that moment, he felt the sting in his neck: a tiny, insignificant little pain compared to everything else he was feeling.

And in that moment, he knew he was a dead man.

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Shorter chapter than usual, I know. My apologies. It was originally going to be much longer, but Luffy stole the show and earned his own chapter, so...yeah. Incidentally, for all of you wondering WHERE IS LUFFY'S CHAPTER, now you know.

**True Fax:** I have a Zoro wallpaper set up as my laptop's background. It has him with all three swords out and bandana on, ready to kick srs arse. My aunt saw him and declared he was 'adorable.' I'll never look at him the same way again.

You know the drill. Nice considerate reviews. Mm...mind food.

~VelkynKarma


	13. Just Hold On

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part thirteen of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

**Warning:** Minor mentions of information from the current arc (Luffy's memories from his past). It isn't totally necessary to understand this chapter, but it is there. You've been warned.

**Music Box:** _Luffy's Fierce Attack_, for obvious reasons, from the One Piece soundtrack. Even better is his _Gear Second_ theme, which you can youtube ("luffy gear second theme"), although I think this is from one of the movies (and do ignore the fact that he's not even canonically capable of Gear Second yet).

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"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

~ C. S. Lewis

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It wasn't precisely that Monkey D. Luffy didn't understand the dangers of the challenge, when he finally heard them. Death was never a funny thing, and he knew that all too well from personal experience. So when it was announced that the trial challenge was a fight to the death, it wasn't that he didn't understand the rules of the game, or didn't understand how dangerous it _could_ be. It was just that his crew was strong, and they would protect each other. And _he_ was strong, and he would protect them.

Only, it hadn't worked out that way. He had looked forward to a good game. The Davy Back Fight had been fun after all, and he was enthusiastic about other sorts of challenges. But these people cheated, had shot his navigator unfairly, without showing themselves first. They'd killed her like cowards, and he hadn't been able to do a damn thing about it. He hadn't expected it. Not even that two-piece head Foxy had aimed to kill, and he'd understood the importance of nakama too.

But these people didn't. These stupid Scorpion Hunters didn't understand how important nakama were, didn't even seem to respect each other, and they were too cowardly to fight head on. That made Luffy furious.

Zoro had managed to calm him somewhat, very rightly, by reminding him that Nami could be rescued. That had been good, to know she wasn't really dead. She was only gone for a little while, and Luffy hadn't failed her and broken his promise to her as captain. He would rescue her and get her back. It was just like their other adventures again. He was still strong enough.

But then they had lost Chopper, and that was when the dam broke. He had been determined to protect the five nakama he had left, put all of his fury and determination into the battles against Jovis and Tazan, but it still hadn't been enough. He had helped Sanji and Zoro, but when he turned around Chopper was still dead. It made him realize how frustratingly weak and useless he was being, attacking outright like he always had, and was like a blast from the past. Unbidden, memories of Ace and Sabo laughing at him for being such a weak little crybaby came back to him, and before he could stop himself he was sobbing over the reindeer's body. It had surprised even himself; he hadn't cried in years, not since they had gotten the news about Sabo's end, and he'd been a weakling then. Just like he was now.

He was no fool, though, no matter how often he seemed like it. He could see how his sobbing was affecting the rest of his nakama. They were nervous, more afraid than ever. Even Zoro's normally steely look was cracking, disturbed. He knew then that this wasn't just a game. This was a test, and it required the strength of more than just his fists and his feet.

So he steeled himself then, made himself as strong as he could for his remaining friends. Rubber was hard to fortify like steel, but it was adaptable, and it always came back. Each time he did his best to be more cunning, less reckless. It felt unfamiliar, but his recklessness had already gotten two of his nakama killed, and he wouldn't allow himself to do that to any more of them. Each time he tried to remain as calm and as strong as he usually did, though it was desperately hard to do when he felt as though they had been in the same fight for three days. And each time he lost another one, he promised them without hesitation that he would get them back, and that they should just rest and wait.

Because he would. There was no way he would be stopped. His crew needed their captain, trusted him absolutely to come to their aid. He would rescue each and every one of them, use every ounce of strength his body possessed to make it happen. No matter what.

But he could feel his strength diminishing as the time passed, as his nakama dwindled away. Zoro and Robin had both died to protect the others, just as good crew members should; and Sanji had definitely given his life to protect them as well. Luffy knew that, even if he couldn't ask his cook.

And yet, even though he was proud of them for looking out for each other so well, just as he had always dreamed of on the Pirate King's crew, he still felt himself becoming more and more desperate when only Usopp was left. Not because he doubted Usopp's ability, oh no. He picked his sniper for a reason, and had absolute trust in his liar's ability. No, he was desperate because he was_ afraid_; afraid he wouldn't be able to save his last friend, afraid that all the strength he had worked so hard to obtain would come to nothing. What good was power of a pistol in his fist if he had nothing to protect with it?

So when they had gone to fight the final Scorpions, Luffy had decided from the beginning on a different strategy. He would still pummel the two to their deaths and rescue his friends, but he would also be Usopp's shield, protect him just as he had promised.

Only, that hadn't worked as planned either. Luffy had always preferred to_ attack_, since he first started training. Even most of his defensive moves were offensive, like rebounding cannonballs and bullets. And it was even harder to do when he was trying to defend another person, and couldn't afford to get hit at _all_. If he was alone, he would have let Sasori slash him up, just to get the opportunity to pound his face in; but here he had to last, or Usopp would die. It was frustrating and difficult, but Luffy had promised, and he _would not_ lose another friend.

So when Usopp suddenly ducked underneath his arm and dived for Kawazu, screaming _"damn iiiiit!"_ at the top of his lungs, Luffy had initially yelled for him to stop. But he had seen Usopp's face, too. The sniper looked determined, seemed to know what he was doing. Luffy resolved to trust his sniper just as he always had, just as he had trusted all the others, and moved to dodge an attack from Sasori before the scimitar could slice him in two.

And Usopp _had_ done well. Luffy had caught snatches of it here and there, in between dodging blows and launching his own kicks and punches at Sasori. He noted the burst of flame, and heard the scream as Kawazu keeled over backwards, his chest a mass of blood, and knew instinctively that the game was almost over, that there was only one left.

But then things had changed for the worse. Sasori, realizing he was suddenly alone against two opponents, had responded in a furious assault. Luffy had leapt high to avoid the vicious slash of a scimitar, and suddenly found himself being dragged back at breathtaking speed. Sasori had hurled the dagger in his left hand, which impaled his treasured straw hat. The weapon dragged it, and his rubbery neck and head (tangled in the hat's neck-cord) with it to smash into a glassy spiral tree.

It was a puzzling dilemma, and Luffy wasn't really hurt; more furious than anything, that the man would even _dare_ to attack Shanks' treasured straw hat. But before he could so much as growl a threat, Sasori had spun, snatched his whip from his belt, and uncoiled it with a wild snap.

He'd shouted a warning, scrabbled frantically to free himself. With his neck stretched back like this it was impossible to aim his limbs, so no chance for an attack until he got free. The straw hat would not be loosened from the spiral trunk, so his hands dived to the neck-cord, and he snapped it without a moment's hesitation. His head flew free, and he dived for Sasori, but knew in his heart he was already too late. The whip, and its poisoned tip, had already lashed out and struck Usopp on the neck.

Usopp turned his head to his captain, and their eyes met. His face was already turning an ugly shade of green, and he began coughing rapidly, too fast to draw breath. Whatever was on the Scorpion's whip, it was faster acting than the poison the other sniper had used.

Usopp crashed to the ground now, but managed to wrench his head around, eyes wide in panic. They met Luffy's once more, watery, pleading. Luffy wanted to scream, but instead heard himself saying with the same forced calm he had used on everyone else, "Don't worry, Usopp. You did a good job. Just a few more minutes and I'll get you back."

His sniper managed to nod shakily, and hissed, "Luffff..." But his voice faded away, and after a few more moments the body stopped breathing.

Luffy's eyes narrowed, and he turned from the corpse of his final nakama to the coldly smirking man across from him. "You made me break a promise," he said, very slowly and deliberately.

"Don't worry," Sasori sneered at him. "You won't regret it when you're dead."

"I'll kill you," Luffy snarled, drawing his arm back for another _Gomu Gomu no Pistol._

"I'd like to see you try!" Sasori screamed, and with an expert flick he sent the whip snapping out towards the rubber man, deadly hooked tip at the ready.

Luffy howled furiously, fired his elastic arm, and suddenly he had snatched the whip's coils out of thin air. The metal tip tapped harmlessly off his vest, lacking the momentum to bite through clothing into skin. Still refusing to take his gaze from Sasori's, the captain brought his other hand around, seized the part of the whip still trailing off to the Hunter's hand, and pulled. There was a wet crackling noise, and then the coils tore apart, leaving the poison-tipped half in Luffy's possession. He hurled it over the edge of the mountain.

"I'm tired of you cheating," Luffy said, very slowly, very calmly, in what anyone who knew him would recognize as the tone used just before he unleashed everything he had. "I'm tired of you being a coward. And I'm tired of you hurting my nakama. I'm going to kill you. _Now_."

Sasori looked down at the useless handle of his whip, then tossed it aside, raising his scimitar instead. "Fine by me," he growled. "I can fight well enough head on when I need to. And all it'll take is one cut." And he charged.

But if he thought he had seen everything there was to see of Strawhat Luffy, he was dead wrong. The captain had been unchained with Usopp's final act, and now all of his considerable power was aimed straight at Sasori with no hint of mercy, fueled by determination, loyalty, and sheer rage.

_"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"_ He roared, and his arm shot forward, much faster than before. Sasori dodged, but Luffy shifted attacks immediately. _"Axe!"_ He snarled next, as his leg stretched high and came crashing down hard enough to split the ground. The Hunter dodged, barely, but was still hit with a glancing blow that made his eyes water in agony. He sliced out with his sword, but Luffy used the momentum from his previous attack to leap into the air, and, _"Spear!"_ he yelled, as his feet slapped together and slammed down at the man with bewildering speed.

This one did connect solidly, slamming into Sasori's body hard enough to send the man flying. He coughed blood, and while he managed to keep his grip on his sword, his arms flew wide from the momentum of the blow. Luffy didn't hesitate. Even as he landed, he roared, _"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"_ and punched rapidly, beating at the man mercilessly.

Sasori hit the ground and rolled quickly to try and escape the punches, slicing rapidly with his scimitar to drive them back. Luffy recoiled his flying fists instantly before he could be cut, and instead stretched his arm a little ways to the bounty hunter's right. The man bore a confused expression that widened into understanding as Luffy's hand solidly gripped another swirling tree and he shot himself forward, holding out his other arm straight and firm. _"Gomu Gomu no Kama!"_

It was another solid hit, but Luffy felt no satisfaction as he collided into the spiral tree and flipped himself around quickly. Sasori had hit the ground again and was clutching at his throat, where the _kama_ had cloths-lined him, but he wouldn't stay down for long. Lifting his leg quickly, he smashed it down again at the man's head with another call of, _"Stamp!"_

Sasori shifted just enough, and the blow connected with his chest instead of his face, as originally intended. The man let out a grunt of pain as the air was squeezed from his lungs, and there was a crack that suggested a broken rib or two, but he slashed with his sword quickly, driving Luffy back. Before the rubber-man could restart his attack he rolled to his feet and glared across at his opponent.

"You're good, I'll give you that," the Hunter snarled. "Definitely worth your bounty. But I didn't get into this business for nothing. You're fucking _dead_ now, you brat!"

Luffy didn't bother to give him an answer, other than throwing another_ Pistol_ at him. Sasori dodged aside quickly, cringing slightly as his newly damaged ribs gave him trouble—and lashed out at Luffy's arm, right as it reached its maximum tension.

Luffy managed to pull his arm aside and prevent it from being completely cut off, but he couldn't avoid the small gash that the man gave him. Almost instantly he felt the burn of the vicious poison dragging its way up his arm from the wound, could feel it setting him on fire inside, trying to seize up his rubber muscles and roast him from the inside.

He couldn't help himself; he screamed loudly as his arm snapped back to him, scratched at the cut without even thinking, as though hoping to claw the fire out. Sasori was laughing across from him, a vicious smirk on his face.

"You saw what happened to your friend, Strawhat," he sneered. "It's the same stuff on my sword. Good game, best fight I've seen in years, but you're _dead_."

Already the venom was seizing its insidious hold over him. He could feel the pain, the burn, trying to force its way throughout his entire body. It wanted to rip control from him, touch his heart, his mind, his lungs, the rest of his insides, rip them away from him. He could feel his limbs going weak, feel his legs ready to give out beneath him at any moment. It practically spoke to him; it hurt, so bad it hurt, but at the same time the pain caressed him, soothed him gently, promised with calm cruelty that it would all be over so soon if he just gave in—

"I will _not_ give up," Luffy managed to snarl through tightened jaws. "I promised!"

Sasori was no longer laughing. He looked surprised. "How can you even talk?" He asked, frowning. "That toxin locks up all voluntary movement in less than fifteen seconds—"

Luffy's only answer was a resounding _"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"_ and a rubbery fist to the man's face. Sasori, too shocked to dodge, took the hit straight on and reeled back, his nose broken and bleeding.

That bought him a little time, and he would need it. He could feel the hellfire spreading in him, trying desperately to break him down from the inside. But if he gave in, if he let it do as it pleased, let it convince him to just go to sleep, his nakama wouldn't ever come back. He wasn't going to let something as stupid as poison stop him. What was it, anyway...just a little bit of slime smeared on a sword. It meant absolutely nothing, and he wouldn't let it beat him, hell no!

So as Sasori recoiled, he focused all his willpower, summoned memories of each of his six nakama lying dead and cold. Usopp was the easiest, still only a few feet away. He could feel the weight of Sanji's body as he moved him to a more comfortable location; felt the confidence and calm flowing from Zoro; saw Robin's trusting smile as he promised her; felt Chopper's soft fur against his arms as he laid him to rest; felt his rage, once more, as he saw Nami's unfair, cowardly wound. He could feel it all, see it all, and compressed it all with his own unbridled strength, his devotion, his will, his calm, his determination. It felt cold, in the pit of his stomach, and seemed to force its way outward. He could feel his will wrestling with the toxin flowing through his veins, slowing it, forcing it back. _He would not be beaten._ Not by this.

And Luffy stood straight once again. He could still feel the warning tingles at the back of his mind, and he knew his time was limited. The fire's cruel burn within him still ripped and tore at him, and he knew eventually it would have his way. But he was able to break his focus away from that, get past it, look instead to his promise now. He wouldn't be beaten, not until this man went down first. Not until he had his nakama back.

_"Gomu Gomu no Gatling,"_ he gasped, and fired off the rapid punches with the same grim, cold determination that held that vicious toxin at bay.

The first half of the attack connected solidly, and a number of his high speed punches smashed into the offending Sasori powerfully. But the man had had time to recover from his own surprise now, and he dodged away from the rest of the blows. He grimaced and placed one hand to his chest again—Luffy's Gatling Gun shots had aggravated his broken ribs further—but when he looked up, he wore the expression of a man not yet beaten.

"Fine," he snarled. "You're real good, kid. One shot alone won't beat you. How about a dozen?"

_"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"_ Was Luffy's only reply. Sasori took the hit in the shoulder, but slashed out with his scimitar at the same time, driving a second gash deeply into Luffy's other arm.

The fire returned with a vengeance, and the captain screamed again as it hit. But it was an exclamation of both pain and will, bundled together. This hurt, just as the last had, and he could feel that hellfire burning within him once more; the old toxins seemed to regain strength at the arrival of reinforcements. But Luffy forced it back with a wordless snarl, and instead launched another series of punches and kicks.

Sasori looked surprised at Luffy's tenacity. Clearly he was used to his opponents dropping from one dose of poison, let alone two. But he still regained his composure much quicker than he did last time, and dodged, blocked, and slashed out at Luffy's rubber limbs as they approached.

They fell back after the rapid-fire assault, both breathing heavily. Luffy could feel that burn spreading, and the scimitar had nicked him a few more times. He forced it back, but while it no longer burned he could feel the dull throb slowly spreading through him, weakening him, killing him. It was already making him less effective. His vision was blurring, and it was getting harder and harder to control his attacks.

Sasori seemed to realize it too. The man was in bad shape himself—he'd switched his scimitar from one hand to the other after Luffy broke the first, his ribs were in bad condition, and he was bleeding from a number of bruises and cuts, not to mention his broken nose. But he still smirked through the blood, and sneered, "You've been poisoned over twenty times now. You're losing your bite. That gatling thing used to be pretty strong, but that last one was worthless." He laughed. "I thought you were invincible, but poison any man enough and he'll go down eventually."

"No," Luffy rasped. He knew that part of what Sasori was saying was true. He _was_ getting weaker, and his attacks were doing less. It was getting harder to breathe, and not just because of exertion; he could feel that fire growing into his lungs now, the burn getting stronger with wicked glee. His vision shuddered alarmingly, and his whole body seemed to stagger sideways. But he would _not_ give in. He would_ not_.

"I will not," he said out loud, and slowly took a step forward.

Sasori's eyes widened again, and he raised the scimitar defensively. "Try anything you like," he challenged. "You've got no force left. All I have to do is outlast you and let the poison do its work."

That _was_ true. Luffy could feel his mind becoming more muddled as well, and it was getting harder to think. He could feel agonizing, stabbing pain in his head, like a hundred tiny people with swords were trying to slash their way out of it, but it was mixed with clouds of hazy confusion, like noxious gas rolling around in his brain. But he could understand what Sasori just said, and with crystal clarity he understood how desperate the situation was.

He wouldn't be able to overpower Sasori by force, not anymore. He was being rapidly drained of all his strength by the toxins the man had slashed into him, and no matter how many _Gatling Guns_ or_ Axes _or _Bazookas_ he unloaded on the man, it would make no difference. Sasori was just too sturdy, and his attacks now too weak.

But that didn't mean it was over. Luffy still had a little strength left, and if he directed it all in one final attack, at some point of weakness, he might still have a chance. It would be risky, but the risk didn't matter now, not with his nakama's lives on the line.

Sasori was pacing forward again. Luffy could barely see him now; his vision was so cloudy it was like sitting on his favorite spot in the Merry while sailing through fog. But Sasori lifted his head to laugh as he raised his scimitar for another blow, and Luffy knew exactly what he had to do.

_"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"_ He roared, and his fists shot out rapidly. Sasori snarled and moved to block with his sword, slashing at Luffy's knuckles warningly. Another two cuts bit into his skin, and Luffy felt that seething burn just as before, but he didn't care now. Nor did he care that his Gatling Gun was hardly doing any damage at all, other than leaving a few bruises behind. This attack wasn't for power; it was only for delaying.

The chance came, and he took it without so much as a bat of his eye. Sasori went to block his left rubber fist with his sword, and Luffy snapped his right one forward from a distance, wrapping his fingers around the man's throat.

The Hunter's eyes widened, and he immediately raised his scimitar to slice the hand free. Luffy lifted his legs, let his elastic arm snap him towards the man in a flash, still keeping his hand firmly closed.

He smashed into Sasori, and for the first time his rubber impact _hurt _as the toxins flared within him, jarred by the movement. He felt like he had been set aflame now, was burning as he moved, even as he thought. He wouldn't let it stop him, forced his furious, screaming willpower past the flames and towards his goal.

Sasori overbalanced at the momentum, crashed down onto his back, and Luffy fell atop him, still firmly clutching his enemy's throat. The Hunter snarled and tried to throw him off, but Luffy shifted to kneel quickly, slamming his knees down into the man's chest. He screamed as his broken ribcage protested, and Luffy leaned forward, wrapping his other hand around the man's throat as well.

_"Gomu Gomu no Noose,"_ he nearly whispered, and then he began to squeeze.

He didn't have much strength left. There was hardly anything left in him; it had all been eaten away by the venom, burned away by the fire. But what he did have, he focused, poured every drop of it into his arms and fingers, and told himself over and over to just hold on, and his nakama would come back.

Sasori was recovering now. His broken arm was useless, but he scrabbled at Luffy's hands with his own, trying to tear them away from his vulnerable throat. Luffy's arms bent like the rubber they were made out of at his tug, but his grip proved to be hard as steel, and he would not be dissuaded.

_Just hold on. Just keep squeezing._

"Bas...bast...ard," Sasori rasped, and now he felt for his sword and brought it to bear. Luffy could feel the sword strikes repeatedly against his arms, his shoulders, sides, legs, felt the fire burning to a higher temperature as more and more of the poison tore its way into him. In his mind the flames were blue-white now. Sanji said that was the hottest. Sanji would know, he used fire all the time for cooking.

_Just hold on. Just keep squeezing._

Sasori was swearing incoherently now, gagging and choking as Luffy's fingers dug further. The sword slashes became deeper, more frantic. The fire closed in, the burn filled his mind, the clouds rolled across his vision. He couldn't see anymore. But he could still feel.

_Just hold on._

Something sharper ripped through his mind now. It came from his stomach, from his back. He thought he might have been run through by the man's sword, but he couldn't be sure anymore, not when he couldn't see it. It didn't matter. He was dying anyway. One more wound, one more hole, wouldn't make a difference.

_Just keep squeezing._

There was less movement underneath him now, and the flames were roaring higher. The pain was receding. For the first time he thought he heard screaming, but maybe that was only him, or maybe it was only in his mind, or maybe it was the others; if he was dying he was probably close to them now after all...

_Just...hold on._

He could feel his strength giving out, but he could still feel twitching at his fingers, couldn't give in yet. Forced everything he had, _everything_ he had—heart didn't need to beat, use that strength somewhere else—into that single goal—

_...just..hold...on..._

—he couldn't think of anything else now, it was all he could remember, the only thing he knew left to do—

_...just keep...squeezing..._

—knew he had to, for a reason, it was imperative, but he couldn't remember why, not with the flames roaring in his ears and the pain dragging at his senses, and he didn't think he could breathe anymore, but what did it matter, anyway—

_...just...hold...on..._

—and there wasn't any movement anymore, and there wasn't anything anymore, nothing but the sensation at his fingertips, and that was going away too; but even now he held on, just held on, and sang his mantra in his burning, screaming mind.

_Just...keep...squeezing..._

* * *

If anybody is curious about Luffy's ability to resist poison with _sheer willpower_ alone, it isn't unfounded—just check is fight with Magellan again.

This is, sadly, the second to last chapter. Therefore, I'll make one last offer for you all: post any questions you might have for any of the OC's in this fic, or for me about the fic itself, and I'll do my best to answer them (if there even are any) at the end of the final chapter. There's more to the characters than what was listed here, after all, and I love answering questions in general. :P

You guys know the drill! If you leave a review, please make it a good thoughtful one, I love thoughtful reviews!

~VelkynKarma


	14. C'est la Vie

**Fortunae Gauntlet**

Part fourteen of a fanfiction by Velkyn Karma

**Note:** Last chapters always make me sad :( But we need a conclusion, so here we go!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, _One Piece_ or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that belongs to me here is the concept for the story.

* * *

"I don't belong here,

We gotta move on, dear

Escape from this afterlife—

'Cause this time I'm right

To move on and on,

Far away from here!"

~_Afterlife_, Avenged Sevenfold

* * *

The first thing Luffy recognized when he came to was that his eyes were open; and not only that, but he could _see_, too. The images were blurry and indistinct, and mostly gray, but they were sharpening quickly. He was bored with waiting for them to focus all the same, though, and decided to leave his eyes to it. They could take care of that, and he could figure out other things.

The next thing he was aware of was the shocking realization that he laying on his back, and he wasn't on fire anymore, which was nice. It had been rather inconvenient after all. There was a dull throb throughout his entire body though, and his head felt like somebody was trying to chop it open with an axe. That wasn't so fun, but he'd felt worse before after some fights, so he ignored it. More pressing still was the angry rumbling in his stomach, and he realized he was absolutely_ famished_. Why hadn't Sanji brought him any meat yet?

_Sanji! Sanji was—_

Luffy sat up with in seconds, pulled himself to his feet in seconds more, and had both fists at the ready before his vision had even finished swimming and righted itself. His memories of the past three days came back to him in a rush, and he looked around wildly for Sasori, ignoring the clawing and banging in his skull. The man must have gotten out from underneath him somehow, but he wasn't going to let the man get away, not with his friends' lives at stake—

But he wasn't on top of the astral mountain anymore. He wasn't even outside anymore, which was a little puzzling. He was, again, often used to waking up someplace different after a fight, but that was usually in the _Merry's_ infirmary, and this definitely wasn't the _Merry_. It was a domed, stone building with slits at the top, and he didn't remember seeing one of those in the astral-world either.

"Remarkable," a voice murmured. "Challengers never recover that quickly...especially after something so traumatic!"

Luffy spun, came face to face with twenty-four old people sitting in seats all around him. There was one old granny standing just before him, and with a start he realized he was back where the challenge had first been given. That meant he wasn't in that funny space-world anymore, which meant...

"What happened?" Luffy asked slowly, confused.

"The challenge has been completed," the old granny answered him. She was trying to speak calmly, but Luffy could see plain as day that her eyes were wide, and she seemed genuinely surprised.

"You okay?" He asked, puzzled. He didn't really like the granny, since she made the whole challenge happen, and it hadn't been a game. But it wasn't really her fault. She was only doing what she was told to, and that scorpion guy had been the real bad one. So it was probably a good idea to ask.

"I am...fine," the woman said, a little shakily. "It is just that we have rarely seen a challenge such as yours in quite some time. The decision was made by mere seconds..."

"Eh?"

The woman took a deep breath. "You died, Challenger Strawhat Luffy," she said, trying to force some authority and ceremony into her voice. "However, you died exactly two seconds _after_ the final Defender, Scorpion Hunter Sasori. Therefore, the victor of the lawful challenge is the Strawhat Pirates, as witnessed."

"As witnessed," the twenty four elders repeated dutifully, and their voices echoed in the round chamber.

"In addition," the old granny said, a little less formally, "I find myself...satisfied...with the results. We watched all the proceedings, Captain Monkey D. Luffy. Your crew fought more honorably than I have ever thought pirates capable of. It is not by the law that I say this, but by my own opinion: it would be a shame to see such lives go to waste."

"I won? Then..." Luffy turned around again, searching the strange round building hastily. And there was that other younger girl, Shira or something. She was sitting with her legs crossed, eyes closed in concentration. On either side of her, several bodies were laid out in a line, breathing evenly but otherwise unharmed. The seven on her left were already being covered with sheets and blankets, and the captain spared them little more than a glance as he turned to the ones on the right.

Luffy couldn't hold back a pleased cry as he saw his nakama. All six were there on the girl's right side, stretched out in a quiet line. Each of their bodies were spotless, and looked perfectly healthy. Nami's and Zoro's torsos were thankfully free of blood, and Zoro's earrings and swords were back. Chopper's forehead was clean and intact as well. Robin and Usopp both looked comfortable, neither contorted nor bearing unhealthy looking skin shades. And Sanji's neck wasn't bent and knobby anymore.

It was one of the best sights Luffy had ever seen in his life, but there was just one problem: none of them were moving. They were all there, and nobody looked injured, but they _did_ all still look asleep. Or maybe worse.

Whirling around again, Luffy had his left fist cocked back and ready to launch in less than three seconds. "You said if I won I'd get my nakama back," he growled warningly. His right hand was clenched over his left bicep so hard that he was squeezing his rubber muscle into an entirely new shape, and his teeth were bared.

The old granny held up her hands placatingly, defensively. "Please reconsider your actions!" She gasped, now looking thoroughly panicked. "If you strike an elder member of the council, that is a grave lawful offense. We would not be able to give you your friends back then!"

Luffy was still tempted to hit her anyway, but forced himself to drop his arms to his sides after another glance at his prone friends. As far as he was concerned they were still hostages. He had to be careful or he would never get them back, and that was something he wouldn't accept.

The old granny sighed in obvious relief when he lowered his fists. Now that the situation was more or less calm, she explained carefully, "Your friends will be returned to you. This I promise. Some of them have been dead longer than others, so it will take Shira a few moments to collect all their souls and return them to their bodies. And, of course, the council needs to give her the official and ceremonial command to do so."

"So my nakama are still alive," Luffy said. "And they're okay."

"Yes," the old woman answered, and Luffy released a tired sigh. He suddenly felt terribly exhausted, but didn't plan on resting, not until he had seen each and every one of his crew mates up and walking out of that building and onto the _Going Merry._

What followed was the longest five minutes of Luffy's entire life. All the old people did some sort of chanting, and said a whole bunch of weird things, and made a few ceremonial gestures he didn't understand and didn't care about anyway. Through it all he fidgeted impatiently, watching the six prone bodies of his crew anxiously, and tried _very hard_ to ignore his stomach, which was now roaring loudly. His splitting headache had thankfully gone away, as had the throbbing in his body, at least.

And then, finally, _finally, _something interesting happened. The chanting finished, and the old granny walked over to that girl, Shira, and said something to her in a very formal voice. Shira nodded once, and murmured something low under her breath. There was one huge flash, or maybe six successive flashes all in a row, very fast; Luffy wasn't entirely sure. And then the prone bodies of his closest friends seemed to sigh, breathing deeply, and they began to move.

They all woke differently, Luffy noticed with interest. Some of them really looked like they were only waking up from a long nap. Nami, Robin and Usopp all sat up dazedly as though they had merely been out in the sun too long and had accidentally fallen asleep. Sanji came up fighting, kicking out violently with a yell before he realized where he was. And Chopper woke with a wail, shaking fearfully before he, too, realize he was in the midst of friends again.

Luffy had about five seconds to register that _they_ all woke up with headaches, too, or at least he could guess as much from the way they were holding their heads. Then he couldn't take it anymore, and had catapulted himself enthusiastically at the closest crew member, which happened to be Usopp, and wrapped him in a bone-crushing rubbery hug.

"You're back! Just like I promised," he said delightedly.

Usopp overbalanced out of confusion and they both tumbled to the floor. Luffy seized the moment to snake two rubbery limbs out and drag the still teary-eyed Chopper and a bewildered Sanji into the huggy mess, still laughing happily. Nami looked confused and a little frightened, but her expression broke into a shaky grin as she watched Sanji protest the hug vehemently, and the weak grin turned into a relieved, but strong, burst of laughter. Robin joined her with her own quiet giggle, and within seconds it had caught, and Usopp and Chopper were laughing at the sheer joy of being alive again, and even Sanji was cooing enthusiastically over how beautiful and happy the girls looked.

The sounds cut off abruptly as Chopper wiggled free of Luffy's grip, looking suddenly worried. "Oh, no," the little reindeer gasped. "Zoro...is he okay?" And he pointed, causing the others to turn in concern at the worry in his voice. The happiness melted from their faces instantly.

Zoro hadn't moved from where he had originally fallen when the game began. He looked just like he always did (Luffy checked again, just to make sure his swords and earrings were still there), but he hadn't gotten up when the others did. His chest rose and fell, but it was the same shallow, almost empty breathing Luffy had seen before, when all of them were still in the astral world waiting to be returned.

Chopper dived forward instantly to check him, pressing his little cloven hooves into the prone swordsman's neck. Luffy and Sanji had turned on the old granny, meanwhile, eyes narrowed, expressions deadly.

"You said I would get _all_ of my nakama back," Luffy said, his voice murderous. His fists were clenched again, and Sanji was tapping one foot warningly, as though warming up.

"You should have!" the old lady said, bewildered. Glancing at Shira, she added, "That was the deal...all souls from the winning party, returned to their bodies."

"I'm sure it worked," Shira added, looking equally confused. "I held the swordsman's soul within my mind's eye, along with the others. I released it at the same time."

The old granny looked nervous now, as Luffy fixed her with a spine-chilling glare. "It was not our intent to steal one of your crew members from you! Mistakes have been occasionally known to happen, and souls do on very rare occasion become lost in the void between the astral plane and the real, but...it was not intended! We have not had that problem in over five hundred years, and Shira is very well trained!"

Nami looked horrified, and had one hand pressed over her mouth, eyes wide. Robin looked grim, Usopp was shivering, and Luffy was sure he heard Sanji mutter under his breath, "Hell, of course that shitty swordsman would manage to _get lost_ coming back to life..." But he didn't look annoyed, he looked helpless, which made him angry.

"What happens to those people?" Luffy asked, very slowly, voice low.

"We have...it was recorded that they were never located again, and their bodies eventually died of starvation," the old granny said uneasily. Sanji swore, brought one foot smashing down to the marble tiling almost (but not quite) enough to break it, and the others looked sick.

Chopper panicked the most. Unable to find any hurt to cure with his medicinal skill, the reindeer finally climbed onto the prone Zoro's stomach, grabbed his shoulders with both hooves, and shook him as hard as possible. "Don't get lost, Zoro!" he begged. "Please come back, please..."

Zoro didn't respond. His head flopped ungracefully, tipped back when the reindeer finally stopped shaking, mouth open wide—and released a reverberating snore.

The Strawhats, all six of them, couldn't help but stare at their unconscious crew mate, and the elders and Shira couldn't help but join in. The silence stretched for nearly a full minute, broken only by the occasional snore from the swordsman, likely prompted from his head being held at such an awkward angle.

Luffy finally broke the silence. He burst into laughter, planting one hand on his treasured straw hat as he did so, and stated the obvious: "Zoro's not lost, he's _asleep!_"

That did it. Nami's eyes were still watery, but she started laughing again as well from the sheer stupidity of it all. Usopp and Robin joined in, hesitantly at first, but soon laughing just as loud as their navigator. Chopper did as well, but had to scurry from his perch on Zoro's chest quickly as he did so. Because Sanji had broken from his daze by launching himself forward furiously, and delivered a full-force kick straight to the swordsman's side, roaring, _"Don't you fucking worry us like that, you shitty marimo bastaaard!"_

Zoro took the hit in the side and was awake instantly. He came up with two swords in his hands, and the two had exchanged at least ten blows before he even bothered to examine his surroundings. Then, while in a standoff, his two swords crossed to block Sanji's one-footed assault, he paused and glanced over at the rest of the crew, who were still laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked, confused.

Luffy only grinned at him, and the others couldn't seem to find their breath, so Robin spoke up to answer. "We had a little scare, Swordsman-san," she explained. "But it was a false alarm, and everyone is quite relieved."

"Everything's back to normal," Luffy decided to chip in. Still grinning widely, he added, "We won."

"Oh." Sanji finally lowered his foot and backed off, still glowering, and Zoro, seeing their impromptu duel was over, sheathed both his swords. "Well, we knew we'd win. No reason to be laughing like idiots."

"Why, you ungrateful—" Nami began, but Robin placed a hand on her shoulder, everyone else was still grinning delightedly, and it seemed she just couldn't stay angry. Sighing, she shook her head, and instead allowed Sanji to lavish her with enthusiastic praise.

Luffy didn't blame them all. He couldn't stop grinning himself. Everyone was back, and everyone was okay, so everything was all right again. The elders had thrown blankets over the seven motionless bodies nearby, so none of his nakama had spotted them, and that was good, too. He didn't want them worrying now, not when everything was all good again!

"Captain Monkey D. Luffy," came a voice, and he turned to find the old granny staring at him intently. He nodded to show she had his attention, and she said, "We have instructed the city guard and the harbor guard not to obstruct your leaving. If you would like a guide back down to the harbor—"

"No," he said, very cooly. "We'll be fine."

"Very well. Please heed my warning...do not cause any more trouble! You have dealt with the charges brought against your sniper, Usopp, and those charges have been nullified. But if you were to accrue more lawful challenges, we would have no choice but to put you through the same ordeal, and I do not think you would survive a second time...even though I am _sure _you would accept the fight a second time." Her old lips quirked in the suggestion of a grin, and she added, "You seem like that sort of man."

"Yeah," Luffy said. "That's me. I'm going to be King of the Pirates. I won't back down, not if you threaten my nakama, and not if you challenge me."

The old granny's eyes widened, but then after a moment's thought she nodded. "I see. That is quite a high claim to make, and yet somehow, I think you might even be capable of it."

Luffy only grinned.

"You are free to leave at any time," the old woman finished. "Again, please be careful on your way back. I must follow the law, but I would be lying if I were to say I wanted to put you through the Fortunae Gauntlet again. It would be easier for all of us if you simply avoided trouble and left as quickly as possible."

Luffy nodded, turned to his crew mates, who were still laughing and chattering to each other and simply reveling in being alive, in each others' company. Chopper was perched on Zoro's shoulders, Sanji was wiggling between Nami and Robin, and Usopp was for once silent, but seemed happy just being around the others.

"Hey, guys," the captain said, still grinning. "Let's set sail. Captain's orders!"

They didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Hours later they were out on the open sea, course fixed for their next destination. Nami's log pose had set two days ago, while they were in the astral world, as time there and time in the real world were exactly the same. Sanji-kun had thankfully restocked the ship with food supplies before exploring the island's city, so they were all set in that regard. And while Chopper hadn't been able to do his own supplies shopping for their infirmary, he assured Nami that they were fine until they reached the next island. The reindeer clearly wanted to get off the island just as much as she did. They knew their heading, and for a while once they reached the _Going Merry_ the air had been filled with the comfortable chaos of shouting and foot stomping as the crew ran here and there, securing lines, drawing the anchor, and dropping the sails.

But now that that was over, Nami realized she had plenty of time to think about the past few days. Not that there was really much for her to remember, she thought with a shudder. She had been the first to die, after all—she had _died_, and realizing that still shocked her. And death in the astral world wasn't anything like she had thought death would be like. She couldn't watch her nakama, couldn't follow after them as a spirit. It had been black, blacker than black, and empty. She had barely been aware. There had been no way to keep track of time, and she couldn't tell how the game was fairing, had barely cared anyway. It was like being asleep, barely on the edge of consciousness. And while she had heard the occasional snatches of conversation, that was about the extent of it.

So she didn't know how the game had progressed, other than the obvious fact that they had eventually won. She was curious, but knew better than to ask. Everyone was uncomfortable with the subject, she could tell. And it was easy to see when they were thinking about it; everyone shared the same drawn, empty expressions when whatever had happened in that world came to their minds.

She could feel it on her own face herself, every time she thought of the staggering pain blasting through her body, and as the hours went by she felt herself pressing her hand to her chest uncomfortably. There was nothing there. She had even checked in the mirror out of morbid curiosity, but there was no trace of the crossbow bolt injury, not even a scar. And yet in moments when the memories of that horrible game came on strongest, she could still feel the blast of pain, felt her chest throbbing. Her body might not bear the wound, but her mind still did, and probably always would. She wondered briefly if the same thing happened with any of Zoro's major scars, like that one lashing across his chest.

Nami wasn't the only one remembering either, she knew. All seven of them had been acting rather subdued since their basic sailing duties had been taken care of, and the deck of the _Going Merry_ was the quietest it had been in weeks. Sanji-kun had made them all a huge breakfast after discovering that they had all gone three days without eating (it had been morning when they first awoke). Everyone had enjoyed it, just as delighted about the close company as the food itself. But once they had all dispersed, the ship became silent as the grave, and an uneasy, uncomfortable tension filled the air. Zoro and Sanji-kun hadn't engaged in any of their stupid fights since Zoro first woke up back on the island. And while Sanji-kun had dutifully brought her and Robin a pair of drinks that afternoon, it had lacked its usual whirling dance and poem recital. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper weren't careening around the deck in a rousing game of tag or keep away, and even Robin seemed to be having trouble focusing on her book. Nami supposed death would do that to a person, and shuddered again.

She_ had_ noticed that everyone was out in the sun, however, even at times when not all of them were. Luffy had taken to his favorite perch on the _Merry's_ sheep-head, and was watching the calm waves and open sky with a contented look on his face. Usopp and Chopper had both dragged some of their tools outside on deck and were now making explosives and Rumble Balls respectively. Zoro was training on deck, swinging ridiculously over-proportioned weights with a look of extreme concentration. She and Robin were, naturally, sunbathing on the deck, in desperate need of some relaxation after that terrifying affair. And Sanji-kun was sitting against one of the rails and smoking like a fiend (he'd burned through an entire pack and a half in an hour, probably to make up for the three-day withdrawal his body had had).

It was unusual behavior, to say the least. Zoro would be napping at this time of day, with it being so hot out, not training. Sanji-kun was usually hidden away in the galley at this hour, deciding what to make for dinner or preparing snacks for the crew. And Luffy, Usopp and Chopper ought to be doing something irresponsible and stupid so that she could yell at them for being idiots. It was unusual, but she could understand it. She was breaking her usual habits specifically for today, after all. Rather than sitting up her deck-chair near her mikan, where she normally went for some nice quiet alone-time, she had instead chosen a spot on the lower deck simply so she could keep everyone else in sight. After that terrifying separation from the rest of her crew mates, it was bewilderingly reassuring just to know that they were all still there, alive, breathing, and not going anywhere any time soon. She had a sneaking suspicion the rest were all thinking along similar lines, and had chosen their afternoon activities accordingly.

So it wasn't surprising that Nami kept noticing sneaking glances in her direction, most often from Sanji-kun but from many of the others as well. Nor was she innocent of that particular action either. She had brought her own book to read, but kept glancing up from it furtively to study the others. Most of them were busy and didn't notice her gaze, or if they did, they pretended not to. But whatever they were doing, it gave her time to discover some interesting new habits that hadn't been present three days ago.

Nami didn't know what happened to them all, and just as she had determined before, she wouldn't ask. But she could still feel that pang in her chest, and pressed her hand to it on occasion—and the others did some curiously similar things. Sanji-kun often massaged his neck in between cigarettes, frowning as though he'd slept on it poorly and couldn't properly move it. Usopp scratched his own neck as well, and had sat down to his chemistry kit unusually, tucking one foot to the side as though it pained him to sit on it. Chopper would often rub his forehead as though he had a headache, then shake his head furiously and glance around, hoping nobody had seen him (Nami always looked down quickly at her book when he did). Even Robin would occasionally scratch one arm, almost unconsciously, as though she wasn't even aware she was doing it. Zoro's habit was perhaps the most unusual: on occasion he would set down his weights and raise a hand to his earrings, fidgeting with each one carefully as though confirming their presence.

Nami actually _had_ been about to ask about that one despite herself, since she wasn't sure how losing the earrings, or even an ear, could cause a death. But Sanji-kun had coughed over one of his cigarettes right about then, and when she turned to see if he was alright he shook his head warningly at her and quietly raised a finger to his lips. It had been the fact that _Sanji-kun_ was warning her not to annoy Zoro, more than the warning itself, that caused her to abandon the question.

Luffy alone seemed relatively unaffected by the entire ordeal. He was quieter than usual, to be sure, but it wasn't _un_usual to see him sitting on that ram's head for hours at a time, watching the sea. And he grinned the entire time, seemed happy by the thought alone that they were all back together again and his crew was safe. That reassurance was catching. And if Nami saw him staring at each of them a little longer than was necessary every once and a while, with an unusually solemn expression on her face, she decided to think nothing of it. They _were_ all together again, and that was all that mattered.

Still, the crew remained painfully silent for most of the day, and the tension was still thick in the air when night fell. Everyone was still pretty affected by the challenge, and nobody really wanted to talk about it, making the crew's interactions awkward at best. As they piled into their bunks that night, Nami wondered briefly how badly the literally deathly ordeal might have affected their dynamic, and she quietly prayed it wouldn't have any lasting negative effects. She didn't think she could bear it.

Her prayers were answered that very night. She woke close to midnight in a flurry of panic, clutching her chest, where she could feel the bolt still gritting against bone and pushing through her with agonizing accuracy, and that unending, uncaring blackness that followed. "It's all in my mind, it isn't real," she told herself, over and over, but that didn't stop the tears from flowing, or the memory of the pain.

It was then she looked over to Robin's bunk, seeking a friendly hand and a reassuring word, and realized it was empty.

Nami panicked, and for one horrifying moment wondered if she was all alone again, if everyone really _was _dead, and if they had really lost. Maybe this was just some form of hell, tormenting her further after losing that horrific game.

Her conscious mind recovered a moment later. It wasn't Robin's watch (a quick glance at the clock told her Zoro should have taken over from Usopp half an hour ago) so she concluded shakily that the archaeologist had likely just gone out for a breath of fresh air. Wiping her eyes to hide the nightmare tear tracks as best she could, she threw a fluffy, warm bathrobe on quickly to combat the chilly night air and stepped out onto the deck, thinking to find her.

She found Robin, but not quite the way she had expected. The other woman was sitting near the mast, but she was sitting next to Zoro, who was calmly curling an oversized dumbbell out of habit while sitting on watch. Usopp and Chopper were also there, looking a little nervous but strangely reassured for the midnight company.

Nami trotted over to join them, hesitantly at first, but Chopper scooted over to give her room (and snuggled up next to Zoro in the process, though the swordsman did nothing to protest other than shifting his weight to the other arm). Nami took the offered place, and Usopp said sympathetically, "You couldn't sleep either?"

"Not at all," Nami agreed, a little embarrassed, but strangely reassured at the same time. She knew she wasn't the only one with problems after the challenge, but being on a crew where more than half of its members were insanely strong tended to influence some bad habits...like not wanting to admit one's weaknesses. It was nice to see that the others understood, and not only understood, but didn't mind.

"Zoro wasn't even sleeping on watch when I came out," Chopper whispered to her conspiratorially, "and you know he _always_ does that." The swordsman only grunted lightly in response.

"What were you about to say before Navigator-san came out, Longnose-kun?" Robin prompted, turning back to their sniper. Apparently they had been in the middle of conversation when she appeared.

"Oh...I was just...um...well I was gonna say it alone, but nobody's been alone all day, so," Usopp began, looking fidgety. "I was just gonna thank Zoro for beating up Kawazu a little for me...I don't think I could've beat him otherwise..."

Zoro shrugged. "You would have figured something out."

"I don't think I would have," Usopp said, very seriously, looking a little frightened. Nami remembered Kawazu from the introduction, the man who had a pair of hookswords strapped to his back, and frowned slightly. It sounded like Usopp had been the one to beat him, but Zoro had wounded him enough to make it possible, first. Zoro wouldn't have left a fight _half_ finished like that unless he was dead, which meant...had _Zoro_ actually died early in the game?

"Don't thank me," Zoro said flatly. "You don't need to."

Usopp looked like he wanted to protest, but about that time there was a series of loud _clinks _behind them, and the next second Sanji-kun had arrived with a pair of large trays balanced on either hand. He set them down quietly in the middle of the circle and squeezed in between Usopp and Nami. The cook had somehow prepared a number of little snacks and boiled hot water, which he now used to pass out cups of tea, hot cocoa, and one mug of coffee (for Robin).

And then Luffy had arrived, too, and it was all they could do to guard the little sweets from him before he had devoured them all. It turned to joking anger and exasperated laughter, and that in turn shifted to more serious talk of the game, and when Robin's arms started quietly passing blankets out to each of them from the cabins Nami knew it was official: they were camping out tonight on the main deck. But it wasn't so bad, really, and even discussing the challenge it still felt so much less terrifying and so much more comfortable when they were all together. And by the time she drifted off to sleep with her head resting on a gleeful Sanji-kun's shoulder she knew that they were safe again, that everything would be alright, and that they could get through anything together as nakama.

There was no need to all sleep snuggled together the next night, or any nights following; they were reassured enough for that, and knew that none of their nakama would be dying and leaving them any time soon. They understood each other after that night, and the challenge didn't seem quite as spirit-crushing as it had before, because they had all survived and they did it together.

But there were a few habits that were difficult to break, and didn't disappear for several weeks after that. While there were no more camp-outs, it wasn't unusual to find one or two crew mates up in the middle of the night, sitting on deck with whoever was on watch or nursing a cup of tea or warm milk in the galley as they recovered from a nightmare. And Nami still caught her crew mates fingering their astral wounds unconsciously, almost as if they didn't realize they were doing it, though thankfully with less and less frequency. She herself felt that terrible pang in her chest and the deafening blackness less and less as time went by, as though the vivid memory was slowly fading away from her, though she knew it would never disappear completely.

Nor did anyone go out of their way quite as much as they used to, trying avoid unexpected company. Instead it seemed as though the opposite occurred. Zoro took his naps straight out in the open instead of stretching out in a corner, and Sanji often loudly announced he was going to make lunch or dinner before he did, subtly enticing company to sit at the galley table while he worked with the excuse of free samples.

And it wasn't uncommon for any one of them to stop in the middle of whatever task they were performing and make a silent but quick head count, eyes flickering around quickly to try and find everyone before they were spotted. Chopper, as the youngest, was the worst offender for this. He often acted more like a sheepdog than a reindeer, sometimes going so far as to run around the entire ship until he had found everyone. But everyone else was guilty of the action at some point in time.

But eventually even those little signs decreased, and things gradually returned to normal. Sanji's sing-song _mellorines_ and drink-delivering dances returned, as did his furious matches with Zoro when he tripped over the sleeping swordsman. The raucous cries of Luffy, Usopp and Chopper soon returned as the three youngest crew members played their games, listened to the sniper's outlandish tales, and argued over who had caught the biggest fish. And Robin had already read through a number of other books, even forlornly mentioning to Nami late one night that she would need to do some shopping soon to find new titles as she had nearly cleaned out their small library again.

Through it all Luffy never stopped smiling. And while Nami had wondered about it at first—how could he be so happy, even with all the memories from that terrible challenge, even seeing all of his nakama leave him?—she soon realized that he was in the right all along. And she couldn't help but smile with him, then. Because Luffy was naive, and silly, and stupid, and so many other annoying things, but he was also unerringly faithful to his nakama, and would do anything to protect them and keep them safe, even fight against death itself. And really, how could anyone not feel reassured with such steadfast determination and loyalty in their leader?

Everything would be okay, Nami knew, no matter what adventures came their way next. Because they were a pirate crew, and the best nakama in the world, and everyone there would protect everyone else; and that was enough for her.

* * *

Thanks to all of you for reading! This'll be the only time I ask outright for reviews. The fic is over, and it was quite long, so I'd like a little final feedback if you don't mind! :)

No questions from reviewers, but I _am_ going to answer one asked by **Taryn Streambattle** in the chapter before: _"What does Fortunae Guantlet mean?"_ **Fortunae Gauntlet** is a combination of_ Rota Fortunae_, aka the "Wheel of Fate," and the expression _Running the Gauntlet_. The former basically states that Fate is fickle, and anything can happen because of it. The latter is a corporal punishment when you run down a line and everyone in that line beats on you; in modern use it also suggests having to get through a series of tasks. In other words, the _Fortunae Gauntlet_ challenge is a punishment with a multitude of tasks (multiple kills with a time limit), and anything can happen in that challenge.

Aaaaand that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed this (somewhat bizarre) installment of another One Piece fic. :)

And for those of you who've asked, I _do_ have a few more One Piece fics currently in the works. However I don't know if they'll be completed, and I like to finish my stories before I post them or they never get done. Just keep an eye out if you're interested, or if you want a notification from me when I update say so in your review.

A good voyage to you all :)

~VelkynKarma


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